The risks and rewards of SME investing: Not all small business investments are made equal June 30, 2016 The emergence of crowdfunding has made SME investing – once a relatively hard-to-access asset class – now open to everyone. This is great news for small and mid-sized businesses and for investors alike. After all, small businesses are a key driver of economic growth, and the returns potential can be substantial. However, as with any [...]
New chair of UK pensions lifeboat set to be named amid BHS and Tata crises June 29, 2016 A new chairman is set to be named for the UK’s Pension Protection Fund (PPF) on Thursday. The Department for Work and Pensions is believed to have picked one of its existing board members to replace Lady Judge, who is stepping down after six years. Read more: Now the PPF warns possible amends to steel pensions could [...]
Buyout giant raises £5.7bn for European fund June 29, 2016 European private equity firm Cinven has raised €7bn (£5.7bn) from investors for its sixth fund. The fund was raised in four months and was oversubscribed for its original target of €5.5bn. Cinven’s last raising put together a fund of €5.7bn in December 2014, and led to investment in 17 companies, and 40 acquisitions. Over 90 [...]
Will Brexit affect my pension? All your post-referendum questions answered June 29, 2016 While it was always expected to be close, the fact that the UK has voted to leave the European Union is a genuine shock for most people. With the vote exposing divides between England and Scotland/Northern Ireland, London and the rest of the UK and younger and older members of society, what will it mean for [...]
Tobacco companies remain an addiction for stock market investors – and Brexit gave them a boost too June 29, 2016 Cigarette companies have been under the cosh for years as Western governments try to stamp out addiction to cancer sticks. But the anti-smoking lobby has failed on one count – to sufficiently dent the fortunes of tobacco companies on the stock market. Despite the battering the UK stock market has taken since Friday’s Brexit announcement, shares [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 climbs out of the Brexit bloodbath after major losses in recent sessions June 28, 2016 The FTSE 100 bounced back today, as investors bought back into a market that had been heavily sold off in previous sessions. Just nine stocks finished in negative territory, pushing the blue-chip index up by 2.6 per cent to 6,140.39 points. Falls of over five per cent in the last two sessions had wiped nearly £100bn in value of from company market capitalisations. Insurers [...]
Pensioners have a lot to celebrate as their incomes are now almost as much as working wages June 28, 2016 Why work when you could retire? In a new golden age of retirement, pensioners' incomes have climbed to a level almost rivalling that of workers' pay. Pensioners' average weekly income was 38 per cent lower than that of the working age population in 1994-95. However, by 2014-15 the gap had lowered significantly to seven per cent, according to figures [...]
Investors pull out of property and UK equity funds after Brexit June 28, 2016 Retail investors are pulling out of property and UK equity funds, according to an online investment platform. The number of trades on Rplan.co.uk was up 175 per cent over the weekend after the Brexit vote compared with the previous weekend. The company said 76 per cent of withdrawals were from property funds and 22 per [...]
Steinhoff increases holding in Poundland as Brexit casts doubts over takeover bid June 28, 2016 South African retail conglomerate Steinhoff has upped its holding in UK discount retailer Poundland. The increase, from 23.26 to 23.52 per cent, comes despite Bensons for Beds owner Steinhoff saying last week the UK vote to quit the European Union had caused it to rethink its recent offer for the company. Steinhoff, a furniture and household goods company with operations across Europe, Africa and Australasia, earlier [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 28, 2016 The Brexit rollercoaster is still going full tilt, unbalancing global markets, currencies and politics. Here's what you need to know before the US open at 2:30pm London time. Major US markets are pointing up ahead of the open, with the S&P up by 0.97 per cent in the pre-market. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is up by 0.99 per [...]