Debunking the peer-to-peer lending myths August 24, 2017 There's no doubt that peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has divided opinion. On one side, there’s a cohort of people who have nothing but praise for the sector’s ability to offer solid returns and raise investment for businesses. But P2P has also been plagued by criticism, with some high profile names claiming that it’s a disaster [...]
Lloyd’s of London’s software provider Sequel sold for £250m by private equity backer HgCapital to US-listed Verisk August 22, 2017 Sequel, an insurance software and services provider which serves Lloyd’s of London, has been sold for £250m to US data analytics business Verisk. The sale will have generated a strong return for private equity firm HgCapital, which bought a stake in the business three years ago through its technology-focused Mercury I fund. Mercury I has [...]
Online estate agent Emoov raises £9m in latest funding round August 21, 2017 Online estate agent Emoov has raised £9m in its latest investment round, City A.M. can reveal. The group said the new injection of funding brings its enterprise value to £40m. Emoov is planning to plug the money into its technology platform and marketing. The company said the latest fundraising included personal involvement from Gaby Salem [...]
Warehouse REIT heads for London Stock Exchange as it seeks to capitalise on the rise of e-commerce and consumer demand for fast deliveries August 21, 2017 A warehouse investment company that works with Amazon and Asda is planning to float on the London Stock Exchange. The real estate investment trust (REIT) is newly incorporated and will be seeking to raise £150m. After flotation, Warehouse REIT will seek to invest in UK assets in urban areas. It has already agreed to deal [...]
Crossrail funding contributions from developers forecast to hit £600m target for a year ahead of schedule August 18, 2017 The funding target for contributions from developers for the £14.8bn Crossrail project will be reached a year ahead of schedule, according to the latest forecast from Transport for London (TfL). As part of the funding arrangement with government, TfL is to raise £600m towards Crossrail through a combination of the mayoral community infrastructure levy (MCIL) [...]
The Bank of Mum and Dad: Should you gift or loan? August 17, 2017 Young adults are feeling the pinch. Not only are property prices shockingly high, but student debt and stagnant wages are putting a strain on savings, making it difficult for many young people to even fathom the prospect of affording a house. Research from the Resolution Foundation shows that millennials are the first generation ever to [...]
George Soros’s investment firm Soros Fund Management is betting on Trump to fail as it takes on new holdings which could benefit from a downturn August 15, 2017 Soros Fund Management, the investment management firm founded by prominent Democratic Party donor George Soros, appears from its latest filings to be betting on US President Trump to fail. The firm has recently taken up put options on PowerShares QQQ Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF and iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund, it was revealed in [...]
UK house prices: London and the south east housing market slowdown drags down the UK average August 10, 2017 A slowdown in the London and the south east housing market has pulled down the UK average, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). A net balance of just one per cent of surveyors reported prices increasing instead of decreasing in July, down from seven per cent in June. This was the weakest [...]
UK house prices: House prices fall for fourth successive quarter, according to Halifax August 7, 2017 House prices fell by 0.2 per cent in the last three months, the fourth quarterly fall in a row. Prices rose 0.4 per cent between June and July, according to Halifax’s house price index, a partial turnaround from the 0.9 per cent fall in house prices recorded between May and June. The last time house [...]
Housebuilders have become hooked on the government’s help to buy scheme August 7, 2017 Have we witnessed the beginning of the end of help to buy? Shares in UK housebuilders plummeted at the end of last week after reports suggested the government has asked the London School of Economics (LSE) to review the scheme’s efficacy. It is arguable the scheme, whose first iteration was launched in April 2013, is [...]