Category: Articles

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The value of withdrawn global M&A has reached US$271bn year to date – the highest total since 2008, according to analysis from Deloitte, the business advisory firm.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

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Venture capital funding for the Life Sciences sector, which includes Biotechnology and Medical Devices, increased 15% in value during the first quarter of 2014, compared to first quarter of 2013, according to a new PwC US report.

Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, has announced that Capgemini America Inc., its North American subsidiary, has been selected by NBCUniversal International (NBCUI), the international arm of one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies, to deliver business process outsourcing (BPO) services to help standardise and optimise its finance and accounting operations.

Well services contractors operating in UK waters reported strong demand for their services according to figures in the 2014 Oil & Gas UK Well Services Contractors Report.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has emerged as the wealthiest actor on the Hollywood and Bollywood Rich List compiled by ultra high net worth intelligence and prospecting firm Wealth-X.

UK Financial Services companies are still struggling to comply with The Financial Conduct Authority regulations which require them to record mobile phone conversations, a new report from analyst firm Ovum has found.

A rising level of threats to business, and increasing numbers of regulatory requirements, are combining to ensure in-house general counsel are no longer focused solely on company legal matters.

London has for the first time posted the highest score among the 30 cities studied by PwC US in the sixth edition of its Cities of Opportunity report.

Unilever has announced that it has purchased, for a consideration of £715m, the rights left in family trusts by William Hesketh Lever which are convertible in 2038 into 70,875,000 Unilever PLC ordinary shares.