UK set to face ‘sluggish’ growth in the face of sticky inflation and Bank of England interest rate hikes
Ed Warner: Forget WrestleMania, Super Bowl or the Olympics – London mayor should seek hefty portfolio of sporting events
Reading week picks: Will these two books make me a better investor? October 18, 2018 | City Talk For one whole week this summer, the value investment team I lead at Schroders held its inaugural Reading Week – all heading to our respective homes to read books. To be very clear, great care was taken to ensure no portfolios were left unattended and we could always be contacted. Nor, just in case you [...]
E-commerce demand helps boost rent for logistics warehouse giant Segro October 17, 2018 Warehouse property giant Segro’s rental income soared 43 per cent in the nine months to the end of September, amid burgeoning demand for new space from fast-growing e-commerce firms. The Slough-based FTSE 100 company, which is one of the UK’s largest listed property firms, said headline rent for the period hit £52m, rising from £36.4m [...]
UK’s largest housebuilder Barratt starts year in ‘strong position’ despite drop in reservations October 17, 2018 Housebuilder Barratt Developments looked to paint a positive picture in its trading update this morning, as it announced a rise in forward sales and remained confident of the year ahead. Total forward sales in the 15 weeks to mid-October were up 12.4 per cent on the prior year at a value of £3.1bn. However, reservations [...]
Barratt chair threatened with investor rebellion after shareholders advised to vote against re-election October 16, 2018 Housebuilding giant Barratt Developments could suffer a revolt at its annual general meeting tomorrow, after an influential shareholder advisory group recommended investors vote against the re-election of chairman John Allan. PIRC has said that Allan, who is also chair of Tesco, “cannot effectively represent two corporate cultures…the possibility of having to commit additional time to [...]
Brexit: 23 answers to investors’ questions October 16, 2018 | City Talk The UK’s scheduled departure from the EU is fast approaching. Many observers are hopeful for an orderly withdrawal. But plenty of potential pitfalls between now and Brexit-day which could result in a chaotic divorce. The only near-certainty at present is that the UK will cease to be a full member of the EU on 29 [...]
Outrage-induced regulation will not fix the broken audit market October 12, 2018 The audit market is broken. Don’t take my word for it – ask Rachel Reeves, the Labour MP who chairs the BEIS select committee, or Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable, or even the Conservative business secretary Greg Clark, who last month ordered an inquiry into competition in the sector. With such cross-party concerns, it should not [...]
Global equity bloodbath plunges FTSE 100 to six-month low October 11, 2018 A GLOBAL equity bloodbath plunged the FTSE 100 to its lowest level in six months on a “gut-churning” day for investors. The sell-off began in the US on Wednesday before spreading to Europe, Asia, and trading floors across the world on Thursday. Global growth concerns, the prospect of higher US interest rates, as well as [...]
Leaseplan cancels planned float as stock markets wobble October 11, 2018 Car leasing group Leaseplan today announced it was cancelling its planned initial public offering (IPO) just a week after confirming its float plans. The private equity-backed company, which has a market capitalisation of more than €6bn (£5.2bn), blamed market conditions for its decision. Leaseplan said last week that it was planning to float on the [...]
FTSE roundup: This week’s winners and losers October 5, 2018 The FTSE 100 ended the week nearly 86 points down today, with the index losing 1.16 per cent of its value. Unilever's shares are also down 0.4 per cent at 4,061p share following its reversal on its former plans to move headquarters exclusively to Rotterdam. Read more: Unilever scraps proposals to leave London headquarters Intu [...]
Unilever to stay on FTSE 100: How investors reacted October 5, 2018 Unilever’s awkward climbdown over its attempt to move its main listing to the Netherlands is unlikely to be the last, according to one financial expert, as investors reacted to the company’s decision to retain its London headquarters today. Unilever this morning pulled plans to make the Netherlands its sole headquarters and quit its UK offices, after [...]