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☆ UK's FTSE 100 lags regional peers as banks, insurers fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index dipped 0.1%, while the pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.5%. The life insurance sector (.FTNMX303010) fell 0.4%, with Prudential (PRU.L) slipping 0.7% after Deutsche Bank reduced its price target on the stock. Banks (.FTNMX301010) slipped 1.7% following a 2.3% fall in HSBC (HSBA.L), which was the biggest weight on the FTSE 100. Among individual stocks Halfords Group (HFD.L) plunged 21.1% after the bicycles-to-car parts retailer narrowed its annual profit forecast range. Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil and Eileen SorengOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, Andrew Bailey, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, Eddie Cheng, Banks, Shashwat Chauhan, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Eileen Soreng Organizations: London Stock Exchange Group, REUTERS, Aviva, Bank of England, Prudential, Deutsche Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, Allspring Global Investments, HSBC, Halfords, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Europe, United States, Bengaluru

☆ 'Vote of confidence': UK hails $37 billion of foreign investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Australian funds IFM Investors and Aware Super will pump 10 billion pounds and 5 billion pounds, respectively, into projects ranging from infrastructure and energy transition to affordable housing, Sunak's Downing Street office said in a statement. It added that Spanish power giant Iberdrola (IBE.MC) would add 7 billion pounds to its investment plans in Britain, which include transmission and distribution electricity networks. France has overtaken Britain as the European country with the highest number of new FDI projects. President Emmanuel Macron announced 13 billion euros ($14 billion) of investment commitments in France at a similar FDI gathering in May. "It wants to deal with one person," investment minister Dominic Johnson told Reuters, adding ministers could then have "very strong, frank discussions with the international investment community about how we can make the environment more investable".

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Kemi Badenoch, Sunak's, Iberdrola, Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Stephen Schwarzman, David Solomon, Goldman Sachs, Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan Chase, Amanda Blanc, Dominic Johnson, IFM, King Charles, William Schomberg, Alistair Smout, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter Organizations: British, Global Investment, Business, IFM, Microsoft, Blackstone, LBC, Nissan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hampton, East Molesey, Surrey, Britain, France, Germany, England, Buckingham

☆ UK insurer Aviva posts 13% rise in nine-month premiums
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man walks past an AVIVA logo outside the company's head office in the city of London March 5, 2009. REUTERS/Stephen Hird (BRITAIN)/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - British insurer Aviva (AV.L) on Thursday posted a 13% rise in its general insurance gross written premiums for the first nine months of the year, saying it would continue to return surplus capital to shareholders. Insurers have dealt with issues such as rising inflation and the higher cost of claims by increasing premiums. The life and general insurer, whose main markets are Britain, Canada and Ireland, reported premiums of 8 billion pounds ($9.91 billion), up from 7.2 billion a year earlier. "We see significant opportunities to generate further higher return, capital-light growth in the future as we prioritise these segments."

Persons: Stephen Hird, Amanda Blanc, Blanc, Eva Mathews, Carolyn Cohn, Huw Jones, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Jason Neely Organizations: AVIVA, REUTERS, Aviva, RSA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London, BRITAIN, British, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Bengaluru

A man walks past an AVIVA logo outside the company's head office in the city of London March 5, 2009. British life insurer Aviva on Thursday said it was maintaining its dividend, soothing concerns the payout could be cut to conserve capital, and reported annual profits that broadly met forecasts. REUTERS/Stephen Hird/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 14 (Reuters) - India's tax inspectors searched the office of British insurance giant Aviva's (AV.L) life insurance unit near New Delhi last week and seized documents as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion, sources familiar with the matter said. In a statement, Aviva Life Insurance, India, told Reuters "we can confirm that GST officials visited our head office site, we are in full cooperation with them." UK's Aviva has a 74% stake in Aviva Life Insurance in India, with the rest owned by India's Dabur Invest Corp. Aviva's life insurance business has a less than 0.5% market share on the basis of first-year premium collections in India.

Persons: Stephen Hird, Asit Rath, Sonali Athalye, UK's, India's Dabur, Aditya Kalra, Sharon Singleton Organizations: AVIVA, Aviva, Goods, Services Tax, Intelligence, Aviva Life Insurance, Reuters, Indian, Companies, Insurance Corporation, Bajaj Allianz, UK's Aviva, India's, India's Dabur Invest Corp, Thomson Locations: London, DELHI, New Delhi, India

☆ UK housebuilder Persimmon lifts home-build target in tough market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A company logo is seen on the outside of a sales office at a Persimmon housing development in Liverpool, Britain, August 23, 2023. The target hike comes after peers Barratt (BDEV.L) and Vistry (VTYV.L) last month flagged that challenges in the British housing market would continue over the coming months. High mortgage rates have dented sales for much of this year, forcing builders to warn on profits and cut home-build targets at a time when the UK economy is battling marked challenges, including sticky inflation and slowdown. The FTSE 250 (.FTMC) firm now expects to build 9,500 homes in 2023, above its August forecast of 9,000 units, helped by improved sales since the start of October. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Noble, Barratt, Persimmon, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: REUTERS, FTSE, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, York, Bengaluru

☆ Big government will drive the next market cycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Growth picked up while quiescent inflation permitted interest rates to fall. Bereft of government support, central banks tried to stimulate their economies by pushing interest rates to new lows. That means interest rates will struggle to return to the ultra-low levels seen after 2008. The first takeaway is that higher debt levels, inflation and interest rates should be bad for bonds. Vincent Deluard of StoneX has proposed a division between intangible and tangible companies.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, ” Ronald Reagan’s, Milton Friedman –, Britain’s Margaret Thatcher –, Reaganomics ”, Réka Juhász, Nathan J, Lane, Dani Rodrik, government’s, Vincent Deluard, StoneX, Lockheed Martin, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: Republicans, Capitol, REUTERS, Reuters, Bank, Asset, Monetary Fund, Treasury, Capital Economics, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Capital, Facebook, Meta, Lockheed, Micron Technology, U.S, Congress, Nasdaq, Energy, Exxon Mobil, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, “, Ukraine, Covid, Europe, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan

☆ Commodity-linked stocks drag FTSE 100 lower, Indivior lifts midcaps
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies FTSE 100 off 0.1%, FTSE 250 adds 0.1%Oct 23 (Reuters) - The UK's FTSE 100 slipped on Monday as rising government bond yields and losses in commodity-linked stocks kept equities under pressure, while Indivior shares boosted the midcap index on a lawsuit settlement. The commodity-focused FTSE 100 (.FTSE) was down 0.1% as of 7:08 GMT, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) edged 0.1% higher. Precious metal miners (.FTNMX551030) lost 1.0% after gold prices slipped as U.S. dollar and Treasury yields strengthened. Indivior (INDV.L) shares added 7.0% after the drugmaker said it would pay $385 million to settle a lawsuit. Investors will be on the lookout for a slew of banks reporting results throughout the week with major lender Barclays (BARC.L) scheduled to post results on Tuesday.

Persons: Toby Melville, Khushi Singh, Janane Organizations: London Stock Exchange, REUTERS, FTSE, Treasury, pharma, Barclays, Meta, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, Israel, Bengaluru

☆ UK's BBC, ITV among TV firms investigated over freelance contracts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The BBC logo is displayed above the entrance to the BBC headquarters in London, Britain, July 10, 2023. "ITV is committed to complying with competition law and to cooperating with the CMA's inquiries," it said in a statement. The probe also includes Hartswood Films, Red Planet Pictures and Sister Pictures, the CMA said. In July the regulator said it was investigating suspected breaches of competition law in relation to the purchase of services from freelancers in sports content by the BBC, BT Group, ITV, Sky UK and others. Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Kate Holton and James DaveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hollie Adams, Paul Sandle, Kate Holton, James Davey Organizations: BBC, REUTERS, ITV, Markets, CMA, Hartswood, Red Planet Pictures, Sister Pictures, BT Group, Sky, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ UK TV star Willoughby steps down as presenter of ITV morning show
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Television presenter Holly Willoughby arrives for the BRIT music awards at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, February 25, 2015. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Television presenter Holly Willoughby, one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters, quit as co-host of ITV's (ITV.L) popular daytime programme 'This Morning' on Tuesday, citing the need to prioritise her family. In a post on Instagram, Willoughby said she had informed ITV bosses she would not be returning to the show she had helped host for 14 years. Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive," Willoughby said in a statement. ITV, Britain's biggest free-to-air commercial broadcaster, called Willoughby "one of the best loved, respected and most accomplished broadcasters in the UK".

Persons: Holly Willoughby, Suzanne Plunkett, Willoughby, Willoughby's, Philip Schofield, Holly, Kevin Lygo, Farouq Suleiman, William James Our Organizations: BRIT, O2, REUTERS, ITV, Britain's, Media, Entertainment, Thomson Locations: Greenwich , London, Instagram

☆ Aviva shares jump 8% as Times cites takeover talk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Aviva logo on a window at the company's head office in the City of London, Britain, March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Shares in Aviva (AV.L) shot up almost 9% on Friday, after Britain's Times newspaper cited talk of a possible takeover of one of the UK's largest insurers by a foreign buyer. ($13.41 billion)The Times cited "chatter that refused to die down". Last month, Aviva said it had agreed to buy UK life insurance business of AIG (AIG.N) for 460 million pounds($563 million), in the largest acquisition to date by its CEO, Amanda Blanc. ($1 = 0.8201 pounds)Reporting by Joice Alves and Carolyn Cohn; Writing by Amanda Cooper; Editing by Dhara RanasingheOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Amanda Blanc, Joice Alves, Carolyn Cohn, Amanda Cooper, Dhara Organizations: Aviva, City of, REUTERS, Britain's Times, Reuters, AIG, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain

☆ Aviva agrees to buy AIG's UK protection business for $563 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A pedestrians walks past the Aviva logo outside the company head office in the city of London, Britain March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - British insurer Aviva (AV.L) said on Monday it had agreed to acquire the UK protection business of AIG (AIG.N) for 460 million pounds ($563 million). Aviva said it would buy the unit - known as AIG Life UK - from Corebridge Financial, Inc (CRBG.N), a New York-listed subsidiary of AIG. The transaction will add 1.3 million individual protection customers and 1.4 million group protection members, Aviva said, with the deal expected to close in the first half of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals. The deal would represent around a 5 percentage point cut to Aviva's group solvency II cover ratio, the company said.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Amanda Blanc, Iain Withers, Louise Heavens Organizations: Aviva, REUTERS, AIG, AIG Life, Corebridge, Inc, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British, New York

☆ Aviva to buy AIG's UK life insurance business for $563 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A pedestrians walks past the Aviva logo outside the company head office in the city of London, Britain March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Aviva (AV.L) said on Monday it had agreed to buy the UK life insurance business of AIG (AIG.N) for 460 million pounds ($563 million), in the largest acquisition to date by the British insurer's CEO Amanda Blanc. Aviva said it would buy the unit - known as AIG Life UK - from Corebridge Financial, Inc (CRBG.N), a New York-listed company majority-owned by AIG. Corebridge was formed in 2021 when AIG spun off its life and retirement business and sold a portion of the company to Blackstone for $2.2 billion. AIG took Corebridge public in September last year, in a share offering that raised $1.7 billion.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Amanda Blanc, Blanc, Peter Zaffino, Corebridge, Iain Withers, Louise Heavens Organizations: Aviva, REUTERS, AIG, British, AIG Life, Corebridge, Inc, RBC, Blackstone, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, New York, Singapore, United States

An Aviva logo on the window of the company's head office in the city of London, Britain March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Aviva (AV.L) is quitting its Singlife joint venture, selling its 25.9% stake in Singapore Life Holdings and two debt instruments to Sumitomo Life for a combined 800 million pounds ($997 million), the British insurer said on Wednesday. The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2023, Aviva said. The Singlife joint venture contributed 17 million pounds to Aviva's operating profit in 2022, the statement said. Sumitomo Life already has a 23.2% stake in Singlife, the statement added.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Amanda Blanc, Elizabeth Howcroft, Lucy Raitano, Sinead Cruise, David Goodman Organizations: Aviva, REUTERS, Singapore Life Holdings, Sumitomo Life, Sumitomo, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Singapore, Ireland, Canada, Singlife

☆ Miners boost FTSE 100 on China optimism; Vistry jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Signage for the London Stock Exchange Group is seen outside of offices in Canary Wharf in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies FTSE 100 up 0.6%, FTSE 250 adds 0.4%Sept 11 (Reuters) - The UK's exporter-heavy FTSE 100 index opened higher on Monday boosted by miners after positive China data signalled stability in the world's second-largest economy, while Vistry shares jumped after the homebuilder kept its annual profit outlook. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) rose 0.6% in early trade, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) was up 0.4%. Vistry Group (VTYV.L) jumped 14.4% after the British homebuilder said it would merge its affordable-housing business 'Partnerships' with its Housebuilding operations, while maintaining its annual profit forecast. Reporting by Siddarth S in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, British homebuilder, Pascal Soriot, Siddarth, Rashmi Organizations: London Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Vistry, AstraZeneca, The Mail, Barclays, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, China, British, Bengaluru

☆ UK's Barratt flags tough housing market conditions after annual profit fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A company logo is seen on a banner outside a Barratt Homes housing development in Warrington, Britain, August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Britain's largest homebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) flagged difficult trading conditions over the coming months after it posted a fall in annual profit on Wednesday, as high mortgage rates and a cost-of-living squeeze pummel demand. Affordability concerns stoked by high mortgage rates and a prolonged cost-of-living crisis have weighed on the UK housing market, with indicators on everything from mortgage demand to construction rates and prices sliding in recent months. Barratt said the UK housing market remained difficult and the outlook uncertain, adding that it expected average sales sites to reduce by around 6% in the current fiscal year. British house prices in August were 5.3% lower than a year earlier, their biggest annual decline since July 2009, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Friday.

Persons: Phil Noble, Barratt, David Thomas, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Suban Abdulla, Subhranshu Sahu, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Barratt Homes, REUTERS, FTSE, Nationwide, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: Warrington, Britain, Bengaluru, London

☆ FTSE 100 dragged down by global gloom, Barratt warning
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Signage for the London Stock Exchange Group is seen outside of offices in Canary Wharf in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies FTSE 100 down 0.5%, FTSE 250 falls 0.4%Sept 6 (Reuters) - UK's FTSE 100 slipped on Wednesday as recent soft economic data from China and Europe continued to weigh on global sentiment, while shares of Barratt Developments fell after the homebuilder warned of a tough housing market environment. The exporter-heavy FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) dropped 0.5% in early trade, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) declined 0.4%. Global markets also extended losses for a second day as faltering growth in China and Europe heightened concerns about global economic momentum. GLOB/MKTSEmerging markets-focused fund manager Ashmore's shares (ASHM.L) fell 4.3% after it reported a 6% drop in annual profit.

Persons: Toby Melville, Barratt, Ashmore's, WH Smith, Siddarth, Sohini Goswami Organizations: London Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Barratt, Global, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, China, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ From holidays to mortgage waivers, UK homebuilders dish out freebies to revive sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

If they have a 5% deposit, then deposit boost works well where we give an additional 5% so that they can secure a 90% loan-to-value mortgage," said a sales director with Persimmon. Some homebuyers are opting for exchange options, where the builder purchases the buyer's existing property and the payment helps fund the new-home purchase. "Mortgage holidays", offered by Persimmon and other builders, are also popular among homebuyers with builders contributing towards home-loan payment during a specific period. Reuters GraphicsKNOCK ON MARGINSThe incentives, while aimed at boosting demand, come at a cost for homebuilders struggling to keep costs low. Persimmon said last month sales incentives and marketing costs shaved off 2.1% from its half-year gross margins.

Persons: Toby Melville, Barratt, Persimmon, Aynsley Lammin, Peel Hunt, Sam Cullen, Cullen, Taylor, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sweta Singh, Saumyadeb Organizations: REUTERS, British, Reuters Graphics, Bank of England, Reuters, Peel, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, British, Bengaluru

☆ UK's Direct Line appoints CEO after tough 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - British motor and home insurer Direct Line Insurance Group (DLGD.L) on Wednesday named Adam Winslow, a senior executive at Aviva (AV.L), as its CEO, seeking to reset after profits fell by 95% in 2022. Winslow, who is currently CEO of UK & Ireland general insurance at FTSE 100-listed Aviva, will join Direct Line in the first quarter of 2024. His appointment comes after Penny James, Direct Line's CEO for nearly four years, stepped down in January and Chief Commercial Officer Jon Greenwood was appointed acting CEO. Direct Line reported in March that its operating profit dropped 95% in 2022 after inflation drove up the cost of motor repairs and it warned that 2023 would be impacted by higher than previously expected claims inflation. Direct Line reports first-half 2023 results on Sept. 7.

Persons: Adam Winslow, Winslow, Penny James, Jon Greenwood, Sinchita Mitra, Eva Mathews, Huw Jones, Varun Organizations: Line Insurance, Aviva, UK & Ireland, Direct, Thomson Locations: British, Bengaluru, London

Aug 21 (Reuters) - Indivior (INDV.L) has agreed to pay $30 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed in a U.S. court by health plans accusing the drugmaker of illegally suppressing generic competition for its opioid addiction treatment Suboxone. The settlement, disclosed on Saturday in a filing by lawyers for the health plans in federal court in Philadelphia, must still be approved by a judge. Indivior is still facing claims by drug wholesalers that bought Suboxone from the Virginia-based company directly, with a trial scheduled in October. Lawyers for the health plans did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Indivior agreed in June to pay $102.5 million to settle related claims by 41 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

Persons: Indivior, Mark Crossley, Suboxone, Brendan Pierson, Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: U.S, D.C, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Thomson Locations: U.S, Philadelphia, Virginia, Washington, United States, New York

☆ Britain's Bellway says new home sales to fall 'materially'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoAug 9 (Reuters) - Britain's Bellway (BWY.L) said on Wednesday it would build fewer homes this year and warned that it expects sales completions to drop "materially" amid a sharp housing sector slowdown triggered by higher mortgage rates. Bellway said it built 10,945 homes in the fiscal year ended July 31, slightly down from the guidance of 11,000 units. "In the current financial year, given the level of the order book and prevailing low reservation rates, legal completions are expected to decrease materially," it said in a statement. Bellway, whose builds range from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes, said its full-year overall reservation rate fell 28.4% to 156 per week, and it also saw a steep fall from 190 units during the Feb. 1-June 4 period. Bellway's mid-cap competitors Crest Nicholson (CRST.L) and Vistry (VTYV.L) have said high mortgage rates were hampering demand from first-time buyers.

Persons: Toby Melville, Bellway, Barratt, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Suban Abdulla, Subhranshu Sahu, Paul Sandle, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, FTSE, Berkeley, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Newcastle, England, Bengaluru

☆ Abrdn’s turnaround is a work in progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoLONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Abrdn’s (ABDN.L) machine is firing on two of its three cylinders. The latter two units are growing, but the stock-picking arm – once Abrdn’s core business – needs more attention. The 1.5 billion pound deal, which closed last year, boosted Abrdn’s exposure to the business of managing savings. Since some of that windfall will disappear when rates fall, Bird needs to speed up his turnaround of Abrdn’s core funds business. The 3.9 billion pound company’s turnaround has a long way to go.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Stephen Bird, Hargreaves, Bird, Neil Unmack, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Interactive, Twitter, Siemens, Thomson

Five hedge funds shared five trading ideas on global property markets, adding that they cannot reveal trading positions for regulatory reasons. CM REITs are companies that own mortgages of multi-family residential homes as well as commercial real estate loans. Cell phone data Litt bought to research a REIT run by Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE.N), showed that buildings which that were supposed to be almost fully occupied were only half full. Alexandria Real Estate responded pointing to public filings which said that it was the advancement of science and related intellectual property in Alexandria’s Labspace buildings, and not employee foot traffic that drove its demand for space. But Litt believes that the shift away from office working will also hurt life and sciences real estate, generally.

Persons: Jonathan Mizrachi, CMBSs, David Amaryan, Ben Hunsaker, Hunsaker, Jonathan Litt, Litt, ANSON, Moez Kassam, Vistry, Kassam, Nell Mackenzie, Dhara Ranasinghe, Alison Williams Organizations: Property, Capital, Beach, Beach Point Capital Management, REITs, Alexandria Real, Reuters, Vistry, Thomson Locations: York, Russia, Russia's, Ukraine, Armenia, Beach Point, Alexandria, Alexandria’s, London, Carolina, New York

☆ UK homebuilders under pressure as lofty mortgages deter first-time buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Midcap firms Bellway (BWY.L) and Crest Nicholson (CRST.L) have also pointed to high mortgage rates hampering demand from first-time buyers. Even a potential revival of the government's 'Help to Buy' scheme, which offered incentives to first-time buyers, will not be enough to improve affordability, analysts have said. Persimmon (PSN.L), one of Britain's biggest homebuilders heavily exposed to first-time buyers compared to its FTSE 100 peers, has offered new customers a "10 months mortgage free" deal. Still, the housing sector faces an uncertain path to recovery, given the ultra-elevated mortgage rate levels. Meanwhile, investors will look out for updates on demand when a couple of high-profile homebuilders report half-year results next month.

Persons: Barratt, BDEV.L, Nicholson, Steve Turner, Bellway, Peel Hunt, Sam Cullen, housebuilders, Cullen, Persimmon, Rob Perrins, Jeremy Hunt, Aynsley Lammin, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sweta Singh, Saumyadeb Organizations: Berkeley, Reuters, Home Builders Federation, Bank of, Times, Housing, Thomson Locations: Berkeley, England, Wales, Bank of England, Bengaluru

☆ Vistry flags tough housing market, reiterates profit forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 20 (Reuters) - British homebuilder Vistry Group (VTYV.L) on Thursday joined its bigger rivals in flagging an intensifying slowdown in the housing market but retained its annual profit forecast, reflecting resilience in its key affordable homes business. The FTSE 250 (.FTMC) firm, which works with local authorities and housing associations to build affordable homes, expects adjusted pre-tax profit for the year ending Dec. 31 to be in excess of 450 million pounds. Vistry, which is typically better insulated against housing market shocks as demand for affordable housing is high, said it was able to mitigate the slowdown in the market through bulk transactions in both its Partnerships and Housebuilding businesses. However, the group said its Housebuilding business, which is similar to its rivals' operations, had faced "more challenging market conditions" in the half-year period with the broader macro-economic challenges particularly impacting first-time buyers. Reporting by Suban Abdulla in London and Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Greg Fitzgerald, Suban Abdulla, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sonia Cheema, Kate Holton Organizations: Vistry, Thursday, FTSE, Bank of England, British, Countryside, Thomson Locations: British, London, Bengaluru

☆ Aviva releases H1 2023 profit guidance, growth estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 19 (Reuters) - Aviva (AV.L) said on Wednesday it expected to deliver around 700 million pounds ($907.20 million) in group operating profit in the first half of 2023, with full-year profit estimated to grow by 5-7% year-on-year. Aviva said the change principally reflected accounting changes to its annuities and protection businesses, with new business profit now being deferred over the lifetime of a contract. It added that the new accounting standards would have "no impact to strategy, capital generation, dividend guidance, or capital return outlook." "There is no impact on our dividend guidance for 2023 of around 915 million pounds, with low-to-mid single digit growth in the cash cost of the dividend thereafter," the company said. ($1 = 0.7716 pounds)Reporting By Sinead Cruise, Editing by Iain WithersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sinead Cruise, Iain Withers Organizations: Aviva, IFRS, Thomson

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