The global financial crisis 10 years on: six charts that tell the story July 31, 2017 | City Talk It is hard to believe but it is 10 years since the start of the global financial crisis. Triggered by a collapse in the US housing market it caused the deepest recession in living memory and the near-collapse of the financial system. Banks failed, government institutions were bailed out, stockmarkets crashed and countries had to [...]
When dividends can be harmful to a company’s health July 26, 2017 | City Talk Pearson’s self-declared ambition to be seen as “the world’s learning company” came a little more into focus this month as the former FT owner offloaded a 22% stake in Penguin Random House (PRH). The sale – to PRH’s co-owner, German media giant Bertelsmann – alongside a recapitalisation of the business, raised some $1bn (£767m) and [...]
The FTSE in 2017: six charts that tell the story so far July 25, 2017 | City Talk The FTSE 100, 250 and All-Share indices have all made strong gains and reached record highs in the first half of 2017. The strong performance of London-listed shares is somewhat surprising given the backdrop – June’s snap general election arguably left the government in a weaker position going into Brexit negotiations, while household finances are [...]
‘Personalised pricing’ could soon make it cheaper to buy your lunch at 3pm July 21, 2017 | City Talk These days, consumers have generally come to terms with the idea the price they are asked to pay for, say, a train ticket or hotel room can fluctuate – and sometimes quite markedly – depending on when they make the purchase. It would presumably still come as a shock, however, if their local supermarket charged [...]
Climate Progress Dashboard forecasts global warming of more than 4°C July 21, 2017 | City Talk Global temperatures are on course to rise by up to 4°C, twice as far as safe levels, according to a new Climate Progress Dashboard. The unique dashboard tracks the progress governments and industries are making towards meeting the 2°C temperature rise commitment global leaders made in the Paris Agreement, which came into force in November. [...]
Don’t be a Maybot – answer the question July 21, 2017 Does it drive you mad when people don’t answer your questions directly? The Prime Minister is the indisputable master of the genre. A few months ago, she told the BBC that the UK needed “strong and stable leadership” when asked about Harry Potter’s mugwumps. More recently, when asked by Channel 4 if the critics who [...]
Robo Advice is here to stay, now let’s clear up the confusion July 20, 2017 | City Talk It may be a hot topic for investors, but what does the term “robo advice” actually mean? Here is some much-needed clarity from Netwealth COO and co-founder Thomas Salter. If you regularly read the Personal Finance or Money sections of any newspaper, it’s unlikely that you’ve escaped reading about robo advice. You’ll probably have heard [...]
Average graduate salary by university after five years: The 10 places to study where earnings grow fastest July 19, 2017 If you want to get ahead as you step onto the career ladder, London School of Economics might be your best bet. Not only do grads from the prestigious institution – where none other than Angelina Jolie is a guest lecturer – earn some of the highest salaries fresh from studying, they also manage to [...]
Connection Capital raises £8m from private investors for Volkswagen and Lloyds Bank litigation funder Therium July 19, 2017 Connection Capital, a specialist syndicator of investment funds from private investors, has raised £8m for litigation funder Therium. This largest ever fundraise from Connection Capital, and its third commitment to Therium, will bring the total invested by the firm in litigation funding to £16m. Read more: Woodford-backed litigation funder Burford Capital stands to profit from [...]
Busuu is breaking down language barriers in nearly every country across the world July 19, 2017 We’re a nation of monoglots. Despite spending countless hours learning languages at school, many of our efforts are wasted. Through the power of technology and its social network, the London based company Busuu is trying to change that. But Bernhard Niesner’s ambitions are necessarily global, as he explained at a recent Leap 100 breakfast. Language [...]
