London house prices: stamp duty reforms put brakes on the capital’s prime property market December 2, 2015 George Osborne’s tougher stamp duty regime has put the brakes on London’s prime housing market, Knight Frank figures show, as annual price growth slowed to 0.9 per cent in November. The upmarket estate agency said annual growth has fallen to its lowest level since October 2009, with a monthly decline of 0.3 per cent contributing [...]
Oprah Winfrey’s probably not becoming an Avon lady, but rumours the TV star is buying a stake in the company drive share prices up December 2, 2015 Rumours that media mogul Oprah Winfrey is purchasing a stake in cosmetics company Avon have been doing the rounds today, causing shares in the cosmetics company to rocket by 17 per cent. However, after all the fuss, CNBC revealed that it was unlikely to be true, tweeting from its CNBC Now account that a spokesperson for the [...]
UK shoppers to splash out £20.3bn on groceries this Christmas December 2, 2015 British shoppers are on course to spend £20.3bn on groceries over the festive period, an increase of 1.4 per cent on the £20bn spent in 2014, according to research from IGD. The grocery industry body said shoppers are feeling more upbeat about Christmas this year, with almost a fifth (19 per cent) of people surveyed [...]
Luxury boat builder Fairline goes into administration, just two months after being sold by Better Capital December 2, 2015 Luxury boat builder Fairline has well and truly entered choppy waters, as the company has gone into administration. Restructuring firm FRP Advisory revealed today that Geoff Rowley and Alastair Massey of the firm had been appointed joint administrators. The administration announcement comes just two months after the shareholding in Fairline was sold by Better Capital [...]
Morrisons is kicked out of the FTSE 100 after nearly 15 years at the top, along with Meggitt and G4S December 2, 2015 Supermarket chain Morrisons has been kicked out of the elite ranks of the FTSE 100 after nearly 15 years, joining other fallers including Meggitt and G4S. The London Stock Exchange’s quarterly review of the index confirmed that the grocer has fallen to 109th place in the ranking of the UK’s largest companies. Morrisons’ shares closed down 0.2 [...]
The US Federal Reserve is on course for a December interest rate hike, hints Janet Yellen December 2, 2015 The Federal Reserve is on course to raise interest rates from record lows this month, the US central bank's chair has signalled, provided there are no economic data surprises over the next two weeks. “Many FOMC participants indicated in September that they anticipated, in light of their economic forecasts at the time, that it would [...]
Smartphone security software provider Defenx will finally launch on London Stock Exchange’s AIM market tomorrow after £2.1m fundraising last week December 2, 2015 Defenx, the smartphone security software business, is finally set to launch on the London Stock Exchange's junior AIM market after delays this week pushed back its admission. The company raised £2.1m in a new share placing at the end of last week. The 1.4m ordinary shares were priced at 148p, meaning Defenx has 6.1m shares issued [...]
RSM, the accountancy firm formerly known as Baker Tilly, reveals growth in UK revenues of 26 per cent to £292m December 2, 2015 Accountancy firm RSM today announced a growth in UK revenues of 26 per cent to £292m for its year ended 31 March 2015. The figures also showed that the business’s risk assurance service line had grown by 86 per cent to £22m and consulting, which is the firm’s fastest growing offering, by 195 per cent [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 index rises on pharmaceuticals December 2, 2015 The FTSE 100 index closed up last night, buoyed by pharmaceuticals that were given a boost from a Morgan Stanley note supporting AstraZeneca. The UK’s top blue-chip index closed up 0.4 per cent, at 6,420.93 points. Shire led the pack higher, closing 2.35 per cent up at 4,745p per share, while GlaxoSmithKline ended the session [...]
British Land unveils plans for 32-storey City office tower on UBS site December 2, 2015 Plans to replace UBS' London headquarters in the City with a new 32-storey off tower have been unveiled by FTSE 100 developer British Land. The proposed scheme at 2 and 3 Finsbury Avenue Square, which is part of the wider regeneration of Broadgate, would provide around 550,000 sq ft office space across four buildings – the [...]
