Debenhams to remain under control of investors after no appropriate buyer found May 9, 2019 Debenham’s will remain under the control of its investors after no alternative buyer was found for the struggling department store. The retailer entered a pre-pack administration in April and ownership was passed into the hands of its investors, however, administrators FTI consulting launched a marketing process to sell the company. Read more: Debenhams versus Mike [...]
Time for South Africa to heed Mandela’s call and embrace the free market May 9, 2019 When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, the then President of South Africa, F. W. De Klerk, estimated that at least half of the upper echelons of the African National Congress party were either Communist or Soviet-bloc trained. Consequently, when Apartheid was ended, economic expectations for the country were poor. Just as the [...]
Number of homes put on market tumbles as survey nears three-year low May 9, 2019 More surveyors reported a drop rather than a rise in new houses being put up for sale last month than in any other poll since June 2016, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). Read more: London Marathon property prices revealed ahead of this year's race Waning appetite from new buyers and uncertainty [...]
Trump claims China stalled on trade deal in hopes of dealing with Democratic president May 8, 2019 US President Donald Trump has claimed that China was seeking to U-turn on the trade deal struck between the two countries in the hope that it could renegotiate with a Democratic president following the 2020 election. Read more: Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise He also said that China's vice-premier [...]
Chinese exports unexpectedly fall as pressure builds to reach trade deal with US May 8, 2019 China’s gigantic trade surplus unexpectedly narrowed in April, as the country’s exports fell 2.7 per cent year-on-year in a sign that pressure from the US was hurting the Chinese economy. Read more: Global markets in tailspin after Trump threatens huge China tariff rise Imports fared better, however, rising four per cent in April after a [...]
UK house prices: Experts warn of ‘volatile’ UK housing market after sharp April growth May 8, 2019 Experts today warned that volatility is affecting the UK housing market as Halifax recorded a sharp annual jump in house prices in April. Read more: UK house prices suffer fifth month of Brexit-hit growth UK homes are now worth an average £236,619 following the stark five per cent rise for the three months to April, [...]
Out for justice: Britain must fight for its status as a global legal hub May 8, 2019 The UK legal sector is in rude health. There are almost 10,000 private practice firms across the country, and over 200 foreign law firms with offices in London. Together, they support a total of 342,000 jobs and make a sizeable contribution to the UK’s trade surplus of around £4.4bn. But as we kick off London [...]
Stamp duty is making the housing crisis even worse May 8, 2019 There is no silver bullet to fixing the nation’s housing crisis, short of the obvious but politically challenging solution of building a lot more houses. Nonetheless, certain taxes and regulations make an already flawed market even more distorted and act as additional barriers to those seeking to buy and sell homes. And in the case [...]
HP ‘not suing Autonomy US exec to go after Mike Lynch’ in fraud trial May 7, 2019 Hewlett Packard (HP) is not suing Autonomy’s former US chief executive in order to use his evidence against British businessman Mike Lynch in the biggest fraud trial in UK history, a court heard today. HP is suing Lynch, the former chief executive of software firm Autonomy, and ex-finance chief Sushovan Hussain for $5.1bn, alleging that [...]
Insurer Hiscox grows premiums as London market rates improve May 7, 2019 Insurer Hiscox grew gross written premiums in the first three months of the year as rates improved in the London market. The Lloyd's of London insurer said gross written premiums grew 3.3. per cent in constant currency to $1.164bn (£890m) in the first quarter. Read more: German insurer Allianz close to deal for L&G's general insurance [...]