Category: Articles

Fees per fee earner at the top 100 UK law firms have increased by 2.4% this quarter, compared with the same period last year, according to the latest quarterly legal sector survey from Deloitte.

Man Group Plc, one of the world’s largest independent alternative investment managers, has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Numeric Holdings LLC.

Weak global growth, lacklustre equity markets, low inflation and geopolitical tensions made bonds the safe asset of choice during the first half of 2014, according to Pierre Bose, head of fixed income for Europe at Coutts private bank.

The unconventional supply revolution that has redrawn the global oil map will likely expand beyond North America before the end of the decade, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said in its annual five-year oil market outlook.

Baring Asset Management has announced its intention to launch a range of Hong Kong domiciled funds which it plans to bring to market in early 2015.

Demand for alternative currencies will lead to a wave of private monies, new research from the Institute of Economic Affairs predicts.

The Financial Conduct Authority has fined Credit Suisse and Yorkshire Building Society a total of £3.8m for the “misleading” promotion of a structured product to thousands of risk-averse investors.

With the nation gripped by World Cup fever, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is reminding employers that staff parties can potentially be tax-free this year.

The age old superstition about falling prey to bad luck on Friday the 13th does in fact ring true for some motorists according to new data from Aviva, the UK's largest insurer.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal's forward and captain, has been named as the wealthiest footballer competing in this year's World Cup by ultra high net worth intelligence and prospecting firm Wealth-X.

The competition, devised by Saxo Bank, is based on the football World Cup's groups, with the winning country for each match determined by various financial metrics.

Driven by booming demand, the "Golden Age" of natural gas that is now firmly established in North America will expand to China over the next five years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says in its 2014 Medium-Term Gas Market Report.

The 2014 FM Global Resilience Index finds Norway, Switzerland and Canada top the list of nations most resilient to supply chain disruption, one of the leading causes of business volatility.

The value of withdrawn global M&A has reached US$271bn year to date – the highest total since 2008, according to analysis from Deloitte, the business advisory firm.

Projects rose by 15% last year, numbering 799, as UK retained its position as Europe's number one destination for global investors while also increasing its market share, according to EY's annual UK Attractiveness Survey.

Despite the lure of multi-million pound National Lottery and Euromillions payouts, most Brits have more modest targets when it comes to a life-changing cash windfall, new research reveals.

Lockton, the largest privately held insurance broker in the world, and 9th largest overall, has announced the appointment of Ian Walton as Chief Executive Officer of Lockton Insurance Brokers (LLC), UAE.

Companies must redraw battle lines to win the new war for talent, says KPMG.

Multrees Investor Services, the independent custody and consolidated reporting specialist for wealth managers and private investment offices, has launched Multrees Compass, an online interactive web portal to transform the wealth advisers’ experience and help them manage their clients’ assets more efficiently.

The attractiveness of the UK renewables market in the eyes of investors and developers has decreased dramatically – falling back to levels last seen in November 2012, according to EY's latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI).

The top five most common mistakes made by millionaires are revealed in a new survey.

Tullow Oil plc has announced the appointment of Dr Michael Daly as a non-executive Director with effect from 1st June 2014.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 reached a new all-time high over the past week, but the question remains whether equity investors are too sanguine or bond investors too pessimistic.

UK Financial Investments (UKFI) the government-mandated company which manages HM Treasury's shareholdings in banks subscribing to its recapitalisation fund, has announced its intention to sell a further part of HM Treasury's shareholding in Lloyds Banking Group plc.

Specialist research and consulting firm Futuresource Consulting provides market context to the multi-billion dollar headphones deal.

Innovative firms, particularly smaller start-ups, will be offered the chance to work with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) whilst they develop new technologies and approaches to ensure they are compliant with regulations from the moment they go live, says FCA chief-executive Martin Wheatley.

Charity Finance Group, the Institute of Fundraising and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), have released a new survey to find out how the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme is working.

Sterling and euro strength over the past year has exposed companies – particularly European ones – to swings of up to 20% against some of the currencies most affected by currency exchange rate fluctuations over the last year, and companies have literally paid the price.

Lack of cultural integration process and planning as well as top talent flight are key people-related M&A concerns for senior business leaders the world over, according to a recent survey by financial services company Mercer.

Rio Tinto has appointed Alfredo Barrios as chief executive of its aluminium business. He will succeed Jacynthe Cote who will leave the business for personal reasons to pursue other interests.

Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, has announced the election of three new members to the company's board of directors at the company's annual meeting of shareholders, held in Toronto.

The market for initial public offerings (IPOs) has been exuberant as uncertainties over the US “fiscal cliff” and eurozone debt crisis have diminished and corporate confidence returns, according to a strategist at private bank Coutts.

The unit-linked guarantee market is set to nearly treble to £4 billion a year by the end of 2015 as the Budget reforms highlight the continuing need for certainty on capital and income, insurance firm MetLife believes.

Increased income tax revenues and a phenomenal rise in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) receipts have boosted an overall tax take in the last twelve months, which is £21 billion (4.47%) higher than in the year preceding say London chartered accountants Blick Rothenberg LLP.

The level of pay awards across the whole economy has fallen in April 2014, according to the latest findings from pay analysts XpertHR.

UK small businesses could be inadvertently damaging their growth prospects by paying accountants who aren't even qualified, warns the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).