At the close: FTSE falls after oil price drop erases earlier gains May 23, 2016 A meandering start to the week saw the FTSE 100 climb strongly shortly after the open only to fall back before lunch time. The blue-chip index ended the day at 6,136.43, down 0.32 per cent from yesterday's close price. The falling oil price, down over one per cent and moving away from the psychologically important $50 per [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open May 23, 2016 The latest round of consolidation in the drugs and chemicals industry is on after Germany Bayer made a $62bn bid for US seeds company Monsanto while European PMIs this morning have added to European economist concerns. Here's what you need to know before the open. US pre-market futures are mixed today. The S&P is down by 0.06 per [...]
Investors unimpressed by Obama and back Brexit despite stock market fears May 23, 2016 UK personal investors have been unimpressed by politicians in the run-up to the EU referendum and a majority say they will vote for a Brexit, new research has found. The 56 per cent backing for Leave – compared with a 39 per cent vote for Remain – comes despite a majority feeling that a Brexit would [...]
This crowdfunding platform just raised £2.3m in 10 hours on its own site May 23, 2016 Crowdfunding platform SyndicateRoom has raised £3.1m in a series A funding round. Its initial target of £2.3m was reached 10 hours after the funding round went live on SyndicateRoom’s own website. Last May, the platform completed a £1.2m funding round, which was completed in 33 hours. The latest round was led by Jonathan Milner, an angel investor [...]
UK dividend attraction falls as it lags behind global payout growth May 23, 2016 UK dividends fell by five per cent in the first quarter of 2016, lagging behind global growth, a new report out today has found. Since 2009, UK dividends have grown 44 per cent, behind the global average of 59 per cent, according to Henderson Global Investors. In the first quarter of this year, the report [...]
Investment Association issues stern warning to kitchen sink companies May 22, 2016 The Investment Association late last week fired a warning shot to companies which rejig their profit forecasts as soon as a new management team is appointed, essentially washing the business' value down the drain. The association, which represents unit trust and investment fund managers, has issued a letter to chairmen at FTSE 350 companies, telling them that they [...]
Challenger bank Tandem reopens crowdfunding after smashing £1m target in minutes May 20, 2016 A digital challenger bank today reopened for further investment after smashing its crowdfunding target within minutes yesterday. Tandem raised £850,337 in 10 seconds on Thursday before its host site, Seedrs, crashed. However, it still beat its target of £1m after 15 minutes and investment totalled £1.8m from around 1,000 investors after eight hours. Read more: Digital challenger [...]
Wealth managers facing “fight for survival” with rise of robo-advice May 19, 2016 Wealth managers are facing a “fight for survival” against the threat of robo-advice, a new report has warned. Temenos, a software specialist for banking and finance, has reported a “great transfer in wealth” from ageing baby boomers to younger generations. This reshaping of the wealth management industry, the Temenos and Forbes Insights report found, will [...]
Infrastructure fund makes first move into US as it seeks better value investments away from the UK May 19, 2016 A UK-based infrastructure fund has made its first move into the United States and is planning further investment across the pond as it becomes less focused on home soil. John Laing Infrastructure Fund (JLIF), a FTSE 250-listed company, has agreed a deal to acquire a 100 per cent interest in Project Service, which provides 23 [...]
Zopa’s got a new finance product, expanding into car refinancing loans and more May 19, 2016 Peer-to-peer lender Zopa is branching out with a new loan product offering car refinancing in a bid for a share of the £12bn a year market. Around 40 per cent of Zopa's loans are used for buying a car and Zopa Car ReFi will be a dedicated product aimed at those who already have a car [...]