Currency wars will continue: Europe and Japan are gearing up for stimulus, and some investors are betting their currencies will fall October 27, 2015 Currency wars are still underway as both the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of Japan prepare new rounds of QE which could weaken their currencies, experts say. Last week the euro fell against the dollar – reversing a trend in recent weeks – as ECB president Mario Draghi hinted he may ease monetary [...]
Criminal prosecutions brought by Health and Safety Executive more than doubled in 2015 – Cerico October 27, 2015 The number of criminal prosecutions for serious wrongdoing brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has jumped from 24 in 2012 to 52 in 2015, according to data obtained by online compliance business Cerico. Cerico also found that number of appeals received by the HSE had gone up from 13 to 20. “The problem for [...]
UK R&D spend dropped by 52 per cent between 2007 and 2015 – PwC October 27, 2015 Spending on research & development (R&D) in the UK dropped by 52 per cent between 2007 and 2015, according to research from PwC's Strategy& business. The financial services firm said this shift had come about as a result of globalisation making it “increasingly attractive for UK companies to redeploy their R&D spend globally instead of investing domestically”. [...]
Boardroom battle between Electra and Sherborne Investors boss Edward Bramson continues October 26, 2015 The boardroom cat-fight between Edward Bramson and Electra rumbles on, with yet more letters when Electra released its full year results yesterday. Electra reported net asset value (NAV) per share return of 25 per cent in the year to September 30, with £259m realised from the portfolio. NAV per share return (the best measure of [...]
Apple weighs on Wall Street before results – New York Report October 26, 2015 Energy shares dropped with oil prices yesterday and Apple retreated a day before its quarterly results as the Dow and the S&P 500 edged lower. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 23.65 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 17,623.05, the S&P 500 lost 3.97 points, or 0.19 per cent, to 2,071.18 – but the Nasdaq [...]
Blackstone private equity to buy Boeing manufacturer MB Aerospace from Arlington Capital Partners October 26, 2015 Blackstone private equity fund is to buy Scottish-based engineering company MB Aerospace from US private equity fund Arlington Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum. MB Aerospace manufacturers and repairs aero-engine parts for customers including Rolls-Royce, Boeing, United Technologies Aerospace Systems, General Electric and the US Department of Defense, and has facilities in the UK, US [...]
Insurer Axa brings Ireland business under scope of new UK boss Amanda Blanc October 26, 2015 Insurance company Axa has announced that it will bring its Ireland operations under the remit of Amanda Blanc when she becomes CEO of Axa Insurance, UK & Ireland, on 1 January 2016. Axa Ireland will continue to run as an independent entity, but will report into Blanc. Axa Ireland will be headed by Phil Bradley [...]
Major shareholder in Jack Dorsey’s Square set to depart from company board ahead of US flotation October 26, 2015 Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey's company Square, which is gearing up for its initial public offering (IPO) in the US, has revealed that Vinod Khosla is stepping down as a director of the firm. Khosla has been on the board of the mobile payments business since June 2011, in addition to being a general partner [...]
Market Tech Holdings snaps up another Camden property as it eyes main market move October 26, 2015 Market Tech Holdings, the owner of the iconic Camden Market which is majority owned by Israeli entrepreneur Teddy Sagi, said it has added another property to its burgeoning north London empire and that trading was on track. The company, which owns around 14 acres of land in and around Camden, said it has bought the freehold of [...]
My Local: Mike Greene’s new convenience chain has a tough task ahead of it after Morrisons’ management October 26, 2015 Today’s grocery market is an unforgiving place for established supermarkets, let alone new retailers on the block. Many supermarkets are struggling against the seemingly inexorable changes sweeping the grocery industry. They face falling prices and shifting shopping habits, with shoppers moving simultaneously online and to the discount retailers. It is against this backdrop that Mike [...]
