Why the VIX fear index is clearly the wrong price March 22, 2016 Phew! The panic is over. Global markets are back and the flap that culminated in the second week of February is a dim and distant memory. So what have we learnt from the huge and unprecedented volatility of the first three months of 2016? I fear, not a lot. Don’t get me wrong. I have no [...]
Ding’s Mark Roden talks Dubai, Elon Musk and the importance of sticking to what you know with Harriet Green March 21, 2016 While on what was supposed to be a relaxing family holiday to Dubai in 2005, Mark Roden was cooking up a business. “I’d taken my wife Nicola and our then three under three away to celebrate the sale of my previous business to RBS.” Roden owned a successful network of in-store cash ATMs, which he had [...]
Private equity firm Ardian is selling its majority stake in Novacap to two French buyout firms for around £500m March 21, 2016 Paris based private equity firm Ardian is set to offload its majority stake in chemicals and cosmetics company Novacap to French buy out firms, Eurazeo and Mérieux Développement for around £500m. Novacap, maker of everything chemical from sun creams to baking powder, was bought by Ardian in 2011 for a deal that valued it at €240m (£188m). The deal is the latest in a raft of [...]
High net-worth, older UK investors most cautious in Europe, while millenials more likely to invest in riskier assets March 21, 2016 Older UK investors are the most cautious in Europe, with more than a third of their portfolios invested in cash to avoid asset risks from the volatility affecting global markets. Cash made up 36 per cent of the older investors' portfolios, classified as investments owned by those the age of 40. This figure was up from 29 per cent [...]
The crucial conversation that will get you a pay rise March 21, 2016 A recent article drew attention to the aversion most of us feel about asking our boss for a pay rise (cleaning the house, going to the dentist or running a marathon were mentioned as preferable alternatives cited in research). But while the article was long on tips on the kind of data to prepare beforehand, it [...]
What the Budget 2016 meant for small business March 21, 2016 While a number of significant steps were taken by George Osborne in his Budget last week, it wasn’t the kind of Budget you would hope for towards the beginning of a Parliament. Often, a chancellor will take the opportunity of a recent election victory to make radical, in-depth reforms, perhaps simplifying the tax system. That [...]
The Investment Association: FTSE 100 firms told to scrap quarterly reporting March 20, 2016 The investment industry's leading trade body is gearing up to tell Britain's blue-chip companies to scrap quarterly reporting. The Investment Association (IA) will make the move in an attempt to shift companies' focus towards more longer-term goals, a spokesperson confirmed. It's one of a string of measures contained in a landmark report which is due to be released next [...]
Workplace fraud: The key steps you need to take to stop it happening in your office March 18, 2016 The scandals at football governing body Fifa reminded all of us about the seriousness of corruption in business. Obviously most organisations will never see anything like this scale of activity, but internal fraud is an ever-pressing problem that many businesses face, and which needs to be handled with care. When trying to take a proactive stance [...]
Wealth manager Brooks Macdonald’s share price up after delivering 12 per cent funds under management growth in “uncertain markets” March 17, 2016 The share price of Brooks Macdonald rose nearly two per cent today after the investment manager reported a 12 per cent growth in discretionary funds under management (FUM). The figures The company’s results, for the six months to 31 December 2015, showed it increased its FUM value to £7.82bn, up from £6.95bn the year before. [...]
