P2P lending platform Kuflink gain full FCA regulation
UK-based lender Kuflink confirmed on Friday that it has received full FCA regulation, becoming the newest regulated peer-to-peer lender to enter the market.
Kuflink’s peer-to-peer platform offers its clients security within a regulated and authorised framework, joining a similar lending infrastructure to that of the Britain’s big four banks. The lender’s vetting an due diligence system safeguards customers, with a separate credit committee engaged to assess all bridging transactions on the platform.
Kuflink Group also includes Kuflink Bridging, who have been fully FCA regulated since October 2016.entered the short-term finance market to become one of the newest players in the growing sector of alternative finance; so far, only a few other lenders in the property market have been given full regulation by the FCA.
Tarlochan Garcha, CEO of Kuflink, said:
“Today’s announcement comes at an important time for Kuflink as we continue to fortify our position in the peer-to-peer lending and bridging space. Through our hard work and determination, our authorisation from the FCA validates our delivery of a regulated peer-to-peer service that allows our customers to engage and transact in a safe and secure environment.
“I’m excited to announce that we are already preparing to launch an ISA as part of our services next month, and we look forward to supporting our expanding customer base over the course of the year”.
Directa Plus shares drop by a fifth as pre-tax loss trebles
Shares in graphene producer Directa Plus (LON:DCTA) fell over 20 percent in early trading on Friday, after the company announced the trebling of its pre-tax loss.
In its full year results for the 12 months to December 2016, Directa Plus reported an 89 percent revenue increase from graphene sales, excluding Mobile Decontamination Units (MDU), to 0.74 million euros, up from 0.39 million euros in 2015.
However, adjusted loss after tax for the full year increased to 4.1 million euros, up from a 1.7 million euro loss in 2015.
Looking ahead, the firm said “deepening engagement with existing and potential customers to provide more comprehensive solutions will mean timeframe to adoption will be up to 12 months longer than previously anticipated.”
It added: “As a result, and together with the now expected slowdown in volumes in 2017 into tyre segment and the time required to conclude the ongoing discussions on rental or sales of MDUs, the Group now expects a significant reduction in anticipated revenues for 2017.”
Shares in Directa Plus dropped dramatically on the news, currently trading down 21.55 percent at 71.00 (1123GMT).
Top five most successful movies about Wall Street
In an eight-block-long street, which runs from Broadway to South Street in lower Manhattan, you can find one of the most famous names in the world. A name which carries the legendary status of being the home of power and money; that name is Wall Street.
Being so globally recognized it is no wonder that Hollywood has on many occasions tried to cash in by producing films to capture Wall Street’s decadent appeal.
With that in mind, I have created a list of the top five most successful movies about Wall Street. And as we are talking about investments and making money all the movies are ranked upon return on investment (ROI), the domestic total made, against the films production costs. All box office profits are adjusted for inflation.
5) Money Monster (2015)
Domestic Gross: $41,012,075. Production costs: $27,000,000. Profit/Loss: $14,012,075 ROI: 51% Starring everyone’s least favorite Batman, George Clooney, Money Monster is the story of a market analyst who uses his TV personality status to advise his audience on trading and Wall Street. When one of his viewers goes bankrupt following his advice, he is held hostage on live TV. Drama ensues.4) Margin Call (2011)
Domestic Gross: $ 5, 354,039. Production costs: $3,500,000. Profit/loss: $1,854,039. ROI: 52.9% Margin Call tells the story of a Wall Street investment bank, experiencing the initial stages of the 2008 financial crisis. Told over a 36-hour period, it focuses on the actions taken by a group of employees who try to prevent the collapse of their firm which is overrun by toxic assets. With an all-star cast including the likes of Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons, it favored well with critics but only had a limited cinematic release. Still it makes fourth place on this list.3) The Big short (2015)
Domestic Gross: $70,259,870 Production costs: 28,000,000. Profit/Loss: $42,259,870 ROI: 151% Another true story about the financial crisis, the Big Short is based upon a novel of the same name which tells the story of a number of hedge fund managers and investors who recognize that the US housing market is about to implode and see the opportunity to profit. With a star-studded cast and the use of unconventional filming techniques, the film was both a critical and financial success and was nominated for five Academy Awards – of which it only received one, best adapted screenplay. But hey it gets third place on my list.2) Wall Street (1987)
Domestic Gross: $94,222,800. Production costs: $16,500,000. Profit/Loss: $77,722,800 ROI: 471% The original movie behind the number 7 spot on our list and the grandfather of them all; Wall Street. Straight off the success of his 1986 film, Platoon, it seemed that Oliver Stone could do no wrong. Stone whose own father was a stock broker wanted to tell the story of the corruption and greed that thrives in Wall Street. The villain of the piece is major Wall Street player Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas who takes young and aspiring stock broker Bud Fox, (played by Charlie Sheen), under his wing and teaches him how to commit insider trading. Stone intended to tell the dark side of Wall Street but in the end the villain Gordon Gekko ended up becoming idolized by many would-be stock broker and the film itself has be contributed for inspiring many people to work on Wall Street. Critically acclaimed and a big box office smash, considering its subject matter, the movie also bagged Douglas an academy award for best supporting actor. “Greed is good”.1) Trading Places (1983)
Domestic Gross: $248,254,400. Production costs: $15,000,000. Profit/Loss: $233,254,500 ROI: A massive 1555% Ok, I may be slightly cheating here as Trading Places is really a comedy but you could also argue the same about The Wolf of Wall Street, and there is only one scene which actually takes place at a Wall Street commodity trading floor, but that scene is pretty much the climax of the movie, so it does deserve its spot on the list. At the same time, even though it is a comedy, it is also a favorite of many traders (myself included) as well as one of the best Christmas movies of all time (again my opinion…. eating salmon through a Santa’s beard anyone?). Trading Places in many ways is a retelling of Mark Twain’s novel “The Prince and the Pauper” and is a story of two brothers (Duke and Duke) who own a very successful commodities brokerage who for a $1 bet, swaps around the lives of a young and successful managing director (Dan Aykroyd) with a street hustler (Eddie Murphy). Of course, the two in the end get their revenge on the two brokers by bankrupting them when they intercept an orange crop report bound for the two brothers and trade against them. From a personal point of view; I know many see the ending as a happy one; the two brothers get what they deserve and the two heroes end up being very rich and live on a tropical island, I believe when the two brothers were about to commit inside trading, our heroes turn the tables on them and end up inside trading themselves, making them no better or more deserving than the two brothers, but people cheer their success on, simply because they are the heroes. But hey, it’s a comedy so perhaps I should lighten up. The film was critically acclaimed and the 3rd biggest film of its year and won two Academy Awards for best supporting actor and best support actress. And I, like many of you still love it. By James Trescothick, Chief Global Strategist at easymarkets.comData from: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/ Risk Warning: Forward Rate Agreements, Options and CFDs (OTC Trading) are leveraged products that carry a substantial risk of loss up to your invested capital and may not be suitable for everyone. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved and do not invest money you cannot afford to lose. Please refer to our full risk disclaimer. EF Worldwide Ltd
Share dealing: where to find the cheapest deals
Trading the stock markets is an age-old way to invest cash and, as technology continues to filter through to the finance sector, competition between share-dealing companies is hotting up.
When starting a portfolio, finding a share-dealing platform offering low fees is imperative – if you’re not careful, high dealing costs can take a large chunk of your returns. Many newer firms are offering more and more competitive rates in order to beat out the more traditional dealers; here are a few to take advantage of…
Netherlands-based Degiro is one of the leaders in low-cost dealing, knocking pounds off the dealing costs of mainstream dealers. They claim to offer fees that are on average 84 percent lower than competitors, charging a flat fee of £1.75 per trade for UK-listed shares, plus 0.004 percent of each trade’s value. This would mean that a £1,000 trade costs just £1.79, while a £10,000 deal would be £2.15.
For US-listed shares Degiro have lowered their costs further, charging just $0.50 plus $0.004 per share. Most UK brokers would charge upwards of £40-50 for this same trade.
In comparison, better-known online share platform IG charge rather more. For between 0 and 9 trades the charge is £8 per trade, and for 10 and above it’s £5. However, if you prefer to trade over the phone the price skyrockets to a £40 minimum charge regardless of how many shares you are trading.
Robo-adviser Nutmeg is one of the new kids on the block, hoping to use technology to revolutionise the tired and traditional trading industry. They pride themselves on customers being able to get a ‘low-cost, intelligent portfolio’, with no hidden exit fees or trading commissions.
Instead, Nutmeg charge an annual management fee of 0.75 percent. If you choose to expand your portfolio to over £100,000, the fees fall further on a sliding scale to a minimum of 0.25 percent. The fees are charged monthly and on an ISA or a standard account money can be withdrawn at any time.
For those who know what they’re doing, XO’s execution-only platform offers some competitive prices. XO charge no management fees, inactivity fees or account opening fees – simply a one-off cost of £5.95 per trade, no matter the size.
Hargreaves Lansdown, one of the most established share dealing platforms, offer varying rates dependent on how frequently you trade. Between 0-9 trades per month the cost is £11.95, between 10-19 it’s £8.95 and for 20 or more trades per month, the cost is £5.95.
Top five tech stocks in 2017
The Nasdaq, home to many of the biggest tech companies in America, hit the 6,000 mark for the first time ever on Tuesday.
As the tech industry continues to grow, as do tech stocks propensity for making money. Here are five tech stocks looking strong for 2017.Facebook (NASDAQ:FB)
Despite being one of the biggest players in the tech field already, Facebook’s sales soared a further 59 percent in the final quarter of 2016. Its Generally Accepted Accounting Principles profits rose 166 percent to $2.5 billion, with Facebook sales expected to grow a further 50 percent this year and 34 percent next year.
Its user base continues to grow, with 1.8 billion monthly active users and 84 percent of all advertising revenue coming from mobile at the end of 2016.
The Facebook stock is currently trading up 0.70 percent at 146.49 (1136GMT).
MercadoLibre overcame challenges in the region to grow its Brazilian revenue 57 percent and total revenue 30 percent in 2016.
MercadoLibre stock is currently trading up 2.09 percent at 230.63 (1138GMT).
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA)
As the popularity of video games continues to rise in the age of Virtual Reality, Electronic Arts – or EA – is one of the industry’s biggest players. EA’s intellectual property includes FIFA, Madden NFL, Star Wars, Battlefield, the Sims, and Need for Speed. As a company, it is a well aware of the need to push into digital gaming, where margins are higher and subscription opportunities abound. “Although we are market perform-rated, we do think EA is a well-run, well-positioned company in a fundamentally strong industry, and expect the company to deliver average EPS growth in the low/mid-double digit range over the next five years,” Cowen analyst Doug Creutz said in a report. “Our rating simply reflects the fact that in the intermediate term, with a tough slate comp and FX headwinds, we think fiscal 2018 will be a slower-than-average growth year, without identifiable catalysts to generate investor excitement.” EA stock is currently trading up 0.19 percent at 92.99 (1137GMT).MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI)
South America’s eBay equivalent, MercadoLibre, has seen impressive growth over the past five years. The group operates largely in Brazil, which is characterized by economic turmoil, currency fluctuations, growing competition, and challenging logistics, but represents a key market in terms on consumer growth.Twilio (NYSE:TWLO)
A less certain stock than many other listed here, clou-based company Twilio has delivered impressive revenue growth – but so far, with non-existent profits. Twilio’s cloud platform handles voice calls, SMS messages, videos, security, and other features for app developers, to which developers subscribe. Major customers include Facebook with both Messenger and Whatsapp, Uber and Airbnb. Demand for Twilio’s services have increased heavily of late, with revenue rising 60 percent annually to $82 million last year as active customer accounts rose 44 percent to 36,606. The company expects its revenue to grow another 31 percent -34 percent this year. Twilio’s stock is currently trading up 3.23 percent at 31.93 (1139GMT).ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW)
IT customer service company ServiceNOW specialises in help desk services within the IT industry. Revenues were boosted from $244 million to more than $1.8 billion between 2012 and 2016, and ServiceNow how has 735 customers from the Forbes Global 2000, and an average spend of about $1 million per year. ServiceNow is currently trading up 0.92 percent at 90.24 (1139GMT).Imaginatik shares fall 10pc after disclosing net loss
Innovation software company Imaginatik (LON:IMTK) saw shares drop over 10 percent on Tuesday, after reporting a net loss in a trading update.
For the year ended March 31st 2017, the company expects to report an adjusted loss after tax of £0.55 million, broadly in line with market expectations.
The result includes an exceptional foreign exchange loss of £0.23 million, arising as a result of the strong US dollar over the period.
Revenues for the year are expected to be flat at approximately £3.9 million, after adding a total of 15 new customers during the year. Renewals in the period remained steady, with approximately 76 percent of the renewals by value being converted over the period.
Matt Cooper, Non-Executive Chairman of Imaginatik, said it had been a year of “good underlying progress” for the group, adding that they had “improved the financial strength of the business by reducing trading losses, and maintained the critical investment in the business to enhance the Company’s consultancy and technology offerings.”
However, investors remained less impressed, with shares currently trading down 11.11 percent on the news at 2.00 (1457GMT).
Top five highest paid FTSE CEOs
As controversy over CEO pay in the UK continues to grow, more and more company leaders are offering to take pay cuts in relation to the performance of the business. However, the pay gap is still widening, and these are the highest paid CEOs in the UK…
Sir Martin Sorrell
Sorrell, the CEO of advertising giant WPP, tops the list as the highest paid CEO in the FTSE 100. He was paid more than £40 million in 2016, taking the total payout received over the past five years at WPP to over than £200 million.Ben van Beurden
The CEO of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell was promoted to his position in January 2014, quickly becoming the second highest paid CEO in the FTSE 100. In 2016 his pay jumped 60 percent in 8.263 million euros from 5.135 million a year earlier, mainly due to deferred bonuses and share plans.Erik Engstrom
Engstrom has been CEO of international analytics group Relx since 2009. In 2014 his total pay stood at £20,681,000, pushing him into third place on the list.Peter Long
CEO of travel industry heavyweight TUI group Peter Long received a total paycheck of £13.3 million in 2016. He has also sat on the board of Royal Mail since June 2015, being paid £300,000 a year.Tidjane Thiam
Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam joined the company from his previous position at Prudential. Despite requesting a bonus cut in 2015, he still received 18.9 million Swiss francs – around $19.4 million – in cash and share awards from the bank.London’s top four property hotspots
If you’re looking for the next up-and-coming place to invest in London property, forget the old hotspot areas of Hackney and Dalston, whose house prices have long since surpassed those of affordability. Whether you’re a first time buyer, looking to buy-to-let or a renter who want something better for their buck, discover our recommendations for London’s hottest new locations.
Streatham
With established property markets such as Brixton and Peckham nearby, demand is now spreading into nearby Streatham. Often preceded by a reputation for crime gained in the 1980s, Streatham has since undergone a regeneration and offers a good location with South West London’s charm. Well connected to the city centre by the rail services from three stations and centred around the open space of Streatham Common, it is perfect for both families and commuters.
Brent
Brent is often overlooked for being slightly too far out of the centre, but its distance comes with benefits. Average property prices in Barnet are below £600,000, and there’s a good range of both good private and state schools to choose from. Transport links into the centre are better than many places, benefitting from both National Rail services and the Underground line.
Sutton
House prices in the area have jumped by £30,000 since December last year – far beyond the UK average of £20,000; however at £378,000, the average house price in Sutton is £100,000 cheaper than the average for the capital. In its fourth edition, the Family Hotspots Report concluded the postcodes SM3, SM1 and SM2 were all in the top ten places in London for family friendly living. This covers North Cheam and Stonecot Hill; Belmont, South Sutton, South Cheam and East Ewell; and Sutton, Rose Hill, parts of The Wrythe and Carshalton, Benhilton and Erskine Village.Silvertown
Some of London’s most exciting new developments have been given the go-ahead in Silvertown, the area adjacent to London City airport and the Excel centre. Millennium Mills, a derelict turn of 20th century flour mill in West Silvertown, is set to be turned into a large commercial workspace. It has excellent transport links with the DLR to both Canary Wharf and Bank, making it a perfect commuting hotspot.
Investor hunger for crowdfunding pushes Crowd2Fund growth to 4,700pc
Crowdfunding platform Crowd2Fund had a record-breaking start to the year, seeing exponential growth of 4,700 percent in the first quarter of 2017.
The platform now transacts millions of pounds of funds on a monthly basis, maintaining the company’s record to date of zero defaults by funded businesses.
Crowd2Fund raised debt crowdfunding finance for scores of different businesses throughout the quarter, within sectors including hospitality, real estate, and recruitment. The number of businesses receiving funding in the first quarter increased by 3900 percent on the same quarter last year.
IFISA
The platform is experiencing a 50 percent month on month growth rate, with its popularity coming in part for its ability to offer the Innovative Finance ISA. The last few months have seen an accelerated uptake of the product, with the expectation that this demand will continue with the ISA allowance having been raised from £15,240 in 2016/17 to £20,000 in 2017/18. 95 percent of investments are now made into this product, despite sceptics dubbing the project a “damp squib” in the wake of its release.Total funds raised
The total funds raised on the platform in Q1 is up a staggering 4700 percent year on year, benefitting from a flummox of new investors showing the propensity to increase their size of investment into each individual campaign. Another factor likely to have increased the total number of funds raised is the drop in interest rates to 0.25 percent, announced by the Bank of England in August last year.Registered users
Registered users on the platform increased by 236 percent, with 75 percent of these being investors and the other 25 percent being business users. The figures are encouraging, showing that the demand for debt crowdfunding and the IFISA is no longer latent and that users have begun deploying funds soon after registrations as opposed to just signing up out of curiosity.Highlight campaigns
The success of Norman Rogers, a fish and chip business based in Grimsby, proves that debt crowdfunding is a viable financing option for more traditional businesses based outside of London. The fish and chip wholesaler reached their funding target of £50,000 in just over a week. Hospitality and leisure businesses have continued to perform well, due to them being easy to understand for everyday investors. The successes of Micro Fitness Ltd and Ashburton Cookery School indicate that the SME economy is moving towards being more experience led. Little Pickers, a supplier of hospitality services to the music industry, funded in just over two days despite being a relatively curveball proposition for most investors.Campaigns are closing faster
Campaigns are now funding in a matter of days, rather than weeks – notably, 36&5 raised £90,000 in just a few hours. As a result of this many businesses are increasing their funding requirements in order to accommodate for increased demand from investors, as well as to allow themselves extra finance to grow their businesses. [1] 3900% represents growth of the total number of businesses funding in Q1 2017 vs Q1 2017. 4700% represent the total growth of funds transacted on the platform in Q1 2017 vs Q1 2017International payments service FairFX shares jump on strong results
International payments service FairFX (LON:FFX) saw shares rise nearly 6 percent in early morning trade, after revenue grew over 30 percent to £2.6 million.
The company, who provide pre-paid currency cards for international payments, saw a 32.9 percent increase in transactions processed in the first quarter of 2017.
80,802 new customers were added to the business in the full year to 31st December 2016, bringing the total for the year to 588,192.
International payments turnover rose 27.9 percent for the quarter to £107.2 million, with the corporate side of the business seeing an impressive 103.3 percent growth in turnover.
Ian Strafford-Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, said the company had a “very successful 2016”, “beating expectations in terms of all KPI’s, with turnover increasing strongly, revenue breaking through the GBP10 million barrier and improved margins boosting gross profit.”
“FairFX also made big strides towards profitability, with the loss for the year more than halved compared to 2015 and profitable trading achieved in the final quarter of the year”, Strafford-Taylor continued.
Looking towards 2017, he said: “With the continuation of the Company’s strategy to maintain momentum in the retail product, whilst successfully growing the corporate offering, the board is confident that the outlook for the full year remains in line with market expectations.”
Shares in FairFX are currently up 5.80 percent to 59.25 (0854GMT).