Another UK tech star set to fall into foreign hands: E2V's inventions are in NASA rockets

The board at Essex-based E2V Technologies has agreed to a takeover offer worth about £620m, or £2.75-per-share, from California-based Teledyne Technologies. E2V employs 1,750 across the globe, making products including high-tech cameras, and a range of conductors and sensors for X-ray machines used in hospitals, spacecraft and industry around the world.

Prices will rise for the seventh year in a row, says Rightmove, but the pace of gains will slow as uncertainty weighs on the housing market and the London 'price bubble continues to deflate'.

Do money bequests have to be paid before a house is sold to fund them?

My mother bequeathed specific sums of money to other relatives which exceed the total amount of liquid assets in her bank accounts, but I haven't managed to sell her house to fund the payments yet. Is it feasible to pay part of the bequest, £5,000 of £15,000 for example, until the property is sold and then pay the balance?

The new Land Rover Discovery has proved a hit before buyers can even get one on the road, but the real verdict will come when new owners take it off the tarmac. We get an early test

Deutsche Boerse is trying to seize control of the 215-year-old institution in a £21bn deal. The two companies insist their tie-up will be a merger of equals.

The Brexit vote sent the pound tumbling and soon saw Japan's SoftBank takeover ARM. Now as Sky becomes a target again, broker AJ Bell has revealed five that could be next.

The University of Cambridge is joined by Manchester and other universities that could have their bonds bought by the Bank of England as part of its expanded QE.

Like
MailOnline

Follow
@MailOnline

   

DON'T MISS

MARKET REPORT: Commodities soar as first global oil pact in 15 years sends price of crude

Now 11 oil producing countries which are not Opec members, including Russia, Mexico, Azerbaijan and Oman, have struck their own deal to cut output by 558,000 barrels a day. It is hoped the move should help reduce the oversupply of oil on the market which has caused the price to crash.

The fund, which was based in the City, went bust last year after building up a £2bn trading position in bonds - despite having less than £1m of capital. The collapse cost five giant lenders £120m.

The creation of Sky with its UK customer base of 11.5m paid subscribers and its reach in the German and Italian pay TV markets has been a triumph for British technology.

Ultimate Products, the maker of maker of homeware brands Salter, Beldray and the NutriPro smoothie makers, is currently in the process of floating on the London Stock Exchange.

The airport, which is the Government's preferred location for boosting runway capacity in south-east England, said growth was driven by the use of larger aircraft.

Mop-haired Odey, 57, already worth £900m, was briefly married to the media mogul's eldest daughter, Prudence, 58, whom he met while living as an impoverished student in Pimlico.

Could Boxing Day sales be banned? MPs to discuss petition today

Boxing Day opening hours are to be discussed by MPs this evening after an online petition calling for shops to be shut the day after Christmas hit 299,675 signatures. In 2014, 365,000 people in the retail industry in Britain worked on Boxing Day according to a House of Commons library report - and the petition is calling for shops to be shut.

As part of a review of the mortgage market, the Financial Conduct Authority admitted it needs to investigate whether mortgage rules brought in almost three years ago have backfired.

Millions of Lloyds customers with basic bank accounts risk being hit by fees and penalty charges they shouldn't have to pay, a new government report suggests.

HSBC's branch closure hitlist: Remember the adverts for ‘the world’s local bank?’ Now see

For years, HSBC branded itself as the world's local bank, perpetuating the belief among customers that it cared passionately about having a presence on the high street.

The Government plans to examine the plight of the self-employed and other workers excluded from pension auto-enrolment by age or level of earnings during a sweeping review taking place next year.

A mysterious 50p coin which is rarer than the much publicised Kew Gardens one has seen its value soar in recent months as numismatists cotton on to how few were minted.

Will Trump make your money great again? How the new President will affect your investments

The age of Trump is almost upon us. The billionaire businessman will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on January 20. Here, The Mail on Sunday explores what America under Donald Trump will mean for British investors. As I stand in the heart of Manhattan surrounded by the bright lights of Broadway and festive bustle of Christmas shoppers, America seems to be in rude health.

With just a fortnight until Christmas, thoughts are inevitably turning to food, drink, treats and gifts. Hotel Chocolat covers all four categorie smade at its manufacturing facility in Cambridgeshire.

Nearly six months after the EU referendum, 47 per cent are worried about leaving the EU, compared to 39 per cent in September, according to consumer body Which?

Everyone with a pension is a prime target for scammers - and it pays to be one step ahead

With eight scam calls per second and millions of consumers randomly contacted by strangers about their pension every year, protecting savers from the clutches of fraudsters is a high priority. Those with pension pots have become prime targets for a variety of scams since new rules were introduced in April 2015, giving savers easier access to their retirement funds. Research suggests fraudsters sit behind one in ten requests to transfer money out of a pension pot.

Different in many ways, the two cases highlight how something that should be boring and staid has become at times a corporate scandal, and at others a major problem for British industry.

'Jess Ennis-Hill never needs to work again – but I earned NOTHING from swimming' says

Swimmer Sharron Davies never earned a 'single, solitary penny' competing in the Olympics for Great Britain. But she earned more than £100,000 in her role as 'Amazon' in the Gladiators television series and was paid a six-figure sum to present the Big Breakfast back in the 1990s. Davies, 53, who recently designed and launched her own ProSwim swimming goggle range, also made a fortune speculating on the property market - and bought a Porsche 911 for £60,000.

Hillary Graves, founder of Little Dish, collected her Daily Mail Mumpreneur of the Year Award last week - a special accolade for women who launch successful businesses while bringing up children.

Research by experts at the London Business School say tap and pay plastic cards are removing the pain and guilt from over-spending on Christmas, threatening a 'dangerous' debt storm.

TONY HETHERINGTON: 'I've been signed up to a £3-a-week sex content site without my

Syncronized Limited, based in Coventry, has operated various services providing sexual content to mobile phone users, The titles of some are unprintable. Others include 'Glam Pleasures', 'Sex Dose' and 'Lesbiancourse' offering explicit videos. None of this is illegal, but it does not allow Syncronized to charge for services people did not request - and the company has form for this.

Ofgem came under fire after it emerged that Co-op had been in talks to buy GB Energy just hours before it went bust leaving 160,000 customers in the lurch.

We have long campaigned for bank branches to remain a key component of this country's high streets ever since Barclays decided to shut 172 branches in one day in April 2000.

Still no answer Mr Vodafone? 'I've been waiting for a YEAR for Vodafone to settle my

Vodafone was recently hit with a record £4.6million fine by Ofcom for serial customer service failings following a sustained campaign by The Mail on Sunday. The fine prompted the company to concede that it had 'let customers down'. Vittorio Colao, group chief executive, confirmed the company was 'working on' fixing its customer service issues which had culminated in inaccurate bills being sent out and complaints being handled poorly.

Sustainable fashion guru Tom Cridland makes clothes that really go the distance - and his

Tom Cridland, who is loved by celebrities for his sustainable fashion, has started selling £65 Christmas sweatshirts with a 30-year guarantee. The young designer, who founded Tom Cridland in 2014 at the age of 23, said his long-lasting sweatshirt promotes an important 'buy less, buy better' ideology. He said: 'It is a sustainable fashion project designed to lead an industry trend towards protecting our natural resources by making truly durable clothing.'

A fitness concept that offers dance techniques as exercises is looking to open in new locations with the backing of finance firm Octopus Investments.

Virgin StartUp has called on the Government to commit more money to the Start Up Loans Company. It aims to keep the scheme running and cut the number of start-ups that fail in their early years.

'Brexit has helped the company as our competitors are having to push up prices in the UK,

Britain's luxury goods retailers are booming on the back of the weaker pound, with sales to US and Chinese shoppers soaring in past months. Business services group Colliers International found that there had been a 44 per cent rise in retail sales to non-EU visitors since August. One sector enjoying the boom is watchmaking, according to Giles English. He founded the Bremont Watch Company with his brother Nick in 2002, a few years after their father, an RAF pilot, died in an air crash. 

Unknown tech firm that makes phones you can’t break Bullitt Group is on course to sell

Rather than see its own name in lights, Bullitt Group has instead found a hugely-successful niche designing bespoke phones and electronics for other companies. For construction company Caterpillar, for example, Bullitt has made phones for workers in rugged environments; one particular model can be dropped from a height of 6 ft and has 23 days of standby battery time.

The commodities giant and Qatar Investment Authority are buying a £8bn stake in the Russian state-owned group Rosneft, in a deal part-financed by Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo.

Baroness McGregor- Smith will be paid her salary, pension, car allowance and other benefits until the end of October next year.

On Friday Sky announced it had reached agreement with Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox on a cash offer of £10.75 per share - described by one observer as 'the bargain of a lifetime'.

The bank - founded in 1472 in Siena, Italy - has been struggling to raise funds from the private sector after Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced he would resign.

Luxury carmaker Bentley holds secret talks with Brexit Minister

Luxury car manufacturer Bentley held secret talks with Brexit Minister David Jones on Thursday - calling for the Government to 'clarify' plans to leave the European Union.The summit with Bentley chief executive Wolfgang Dürheimer and other senior executives at the firm follows unease within the motor industry over suspected Government guarantees to Japanese manufacturer Nissan aimed at protecting it from the side effects of Brexit.

The deal - for an undisclosed sum - will see Barclays shed 74 retail branches and a life insurance business, as well as wealth, investment management and brokerage operations.

Furious campaigners have accused Royal Bank of Scotland of trying to silence small business owners who claim it destroyed their livelihoods during the financial crisis.

Sky bosses Jeremy Darroch and Andrew Griffith are in line to share a bumper £38 million payday if a proposed takeover of the company by Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox goes ahead.

Boxing Day opening hours are to be discussed by MPs this evening after an online petition calling for shops to be shut the day after Christmas hit 229,675 signatures.

Millennials think they've drawn the financial short straw

A survey of more than 2,000 investors who hold online accounts with Hargreaves Lansdown found that just 15 per cent of those aged between 18 and 35 feel lucky or very lucky financially compared with other age groups, while 62 per cent feel their generation is unlucky or very unlucky. Among those aged between 51 and 70, 72 per cent perceive themselves to be lucky or very lucky in the monetary stakes.

Steve Webb also called on these pensioners to consider all pros and cons when offered high sums for giving up all of their company pension right.

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This Is Money's Agony Uncle. This week, a reader asks if it is a good idea to transfer a local government pension pot and merge it with a private fund.

RAY MASSEY: Bentley's new diesel diamond should get you from London to Verbier on a single

Bentley's first diesel, the Bentayga, is also the world's fastest luxury diesel SUV, claims the company. It's no slouch off-road either, managing slippery slopes and rutted tracks with aplomb. With big 21 in wheels and powered by a triple-turbocharged four-litre V8 engine linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox (with manual paddles for added fun), it accelerates from rest to 60mph in just 4.6 seconds, and has a top speed of 168 mph, yet will still manage 35.8 miles to the gallon with CO2 emissions of 210g/km.

The average cost to park for an hour in the centre of London is more than the newly increased national living wage of £7.50, new research has claimed. The cheapest city charges 55p an hour, it found.

James Bond's favourite car-maker is to recreate in the 21st century a strictly limited run of 25 lightweight 'track-only' versions of its DB4 G.T. model, of which just 75 were built.

SMITH & WILLIAMSON GLOBAL GOLD AND RESOURCES: Mining investors strike lucky

The gold price has endured a rollercoaster ride over the past year, rising to a high of $1,366 (£1,078) per ounce in July before falling back to $1,164 today. Over the past 12 months, it has risen nearly 10 per cent. Yet investors who have put money in to the shares of miners rather than in physical gold have enjoyed a far better year.

This week Midas looks at Hotel Chocolat and Gately, while the Sunday Times looks at healthcare property firm Assura and the Sunday Telegraph delves into water giant Severn Trent.

The Financial Conduct Authority said crowdfunding platforms needed 'additional rules' after it found it was difficult for investors to compare platforms and to assess risks and returns.

Gateley is the first commercial law firm to list on the London Stock Exchange, joining AIM in June 2015 at 95p a share.

The FTSE has risen in 26 of the past 32 Decembers - and if you add together the performance of every month over the last quarter of a century, December is the second best on average.

Government war on landlords has seen London sales collapse and sparked fears for tenants'

The figures from haart, one of London's best known estate agents with branches across England and Wales, follow various tax and mortgage lending changes that have hit small-scale private landlords - including a 3 per cent stamp duty surcharge on buy-to-let purchases introduced in April this year and the removal of certain tax reliefs from April 2017.

Fifty-one per cent of people yet to retire haven't started saving anything into a pension pot, while just under half have no idea how much money they'll need, Skipton Building Society said.

Our flight to Barbados was more than three hours delayed so we claimed for compensation from our airline, Thomson, in January but so far we've had no response - 11 months later.

How to find out how much your car is worth

Struggling to work out how much your car is worth? You're not alone. One of the most common questions we receive is about accurately valuing a vehicle to buy or sell. We've enlisted an expert who sells used cars to dealerships for the highest price to help.

McLaren do package holidays, and they're probably the best package holidays in the world - as long as you own one of their ultra expensive supercars, that is.

It's been rebranded as the Insignia Grand Sport to refresh the staid image of the Insignia that came before it in a hope it can kick-start an assault on premium executive cars from BMW and Mercedes.

Jim Rickards talks about the next financial crisis and the price of gold

The next financial crisis is looming and central banks won't be able to handle it. So says Jim Rickards, a New York Times bestselling author, adviser to the US Department of Defence. He explains what it will look like, what can be done to mitigate it and how individuals can prepare - including buying gold, which he believes could increase by almost nine times.

The German discounter has added 200 premium products to its Christmas range, including luxury hampers, a jewelled layered pork pie and rope-hung boxed Scottish smoked salmon.

Sales of gin in pubs, bars and restaurants across the UK in the past year increased by 19 per cent on a year ago, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association said.

I've got my eye on a Grade II-listed house: would I be able to extend it?

If you have aspirations to buy and extend a historic building, here is what you need to know - with advice from Historic England and Lycetts Insurance Brokers. It is a myth that it is impossible to get an extension on a period building but you may need to compromise on some aspects of your design.

British shoppers are the second most likely in the world to have a loyalty card in their purse or wallet, but are among the least likely to utilise the benefits, a global study suggests.

With an average annual cost of £877, the duo claims the tariff is £186 cheaper than the standard variable tariff rates available at the 'Big Six' energy firms.

Chronic housing supply shortage will trigger sluggish start to sales in 2017

A shortage of properties coming up for sale means Britain's housing market will get off to a slow start next year, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors claim. With few homes coming up for sale and others being snapped up quickly, the housing supply shortage is a 'very dominant feature of the market at present', Rics said. The volume of homes coming up for sale last month created a 'flat supply picture', with the net balance of new instructions coming in at 0 per cent.

As consumers, we are endlessly signing contracts. But we're the ones engaging companies, not the other way around. So what if it was we who wrote the terms and conditions?

Are Government schemes such as Help to Buy artificially stimulating the housing market to a point of no return where it can't function without them?

Lloyds customers warned over convincing-looking letter scam

Millions of Lloyds customers have been warned to be vigilant against a tide of scam letters purporting to be from the bank, but are actually being posted by fraudsters. In the letter, it uses the customer's name, the Lloyds Bank logo and is even signed off by 'Jamie Smith - Customer Relationship Manager' all in a bid to dupe their potential victim into believing the letter is genuine.

Fed up spending hours and hours wading through paper to get a mortgage? Mobile-only bank Atom now lets you apply through an app.

From April 2017, embattled landlords will start to lose tax reliefs on their mortgage interest, leading to considerably lower profits for many.

We test the menacing Audi RS6 Performance

Some cars look menacing even when they're standing still. Many of them are Audi estates, and few things short of an incoming missile could look more threatening than the latest RS6 Performance.

According to the wacky carmaker, the Oasis concept vehicle is 'a maneuverable speedster with an integrated small garden plot behind the windshield'. It's also a lot like R2D2 from Star Wars.

The luxury car maker's chief executive Wolfgang Durheimer wants to boost investment in cars, jobs and expansion at its UK factory to secure its long-term future in the wake of the Brexit vote.

It’s time to vote in our Wooden Spoon Awards

We are launching the ninth annual Money Mail Wooden Spoon Awards. This is your chance to vote for the organisation you think provides Britain's most shambolic service. This year, our inbox has been as full as we can remember. There have been catastrophic meltdowns, as well as niggling problems that just won't go away. Some companies are finding more and more ways to mess up the basics. You say it's common for rude staff to trot out 'computer says no' excuses or send you online when all you want is an accurate bill or a simple mistake put right.

I just needed to pay £7.90 for postage of the face cream. But when our Yorkshire Bank debit card statement arrived we saw payments for £89.95 and £1.50 had been taken twice

When my mother's house was sold in August it went for more than the estimated value. Can I get my father's nil rate band to be added to my mother's allowance after probate's been granted?

Should I move any profits I make on my investments into a savings account?

I have an Isa and a self-invested personal pension. Am I better off taking out any profit I make on my investments and putting it in a cash savings account, or should I leave it in the fund? I'm 47 and want to stay invested for at least 20 years. H. L., via email

The scammers get a tip-off, perhaps from a garage, that a driver has been in a crash. They then impersonate the driver, calling their insurer to glean more details about the accident and policy.

The glove is one of 28 items Mr Sterling (pictured) bought from Bonhams between 2000 and 2003, and he fears others could be worth much less than he paid.

M&S Bank demanding loyal credit card customers prove identity

In some cases borrowers are being asked for two forms of I.D. that have been signed by an independent professional. The move primarily affects long-standing customers who applied for a credit card before M&S; Bank introduced tougher identity checks to prevent fraud. But shoppers say the demands are 'way over the top' and fear they could be blacklisted by the firm if they do not comply with the security checks.

Have you tried comparing the prices groceries in the supermarket recently? Crafty bosses at big stores have made it almost impossible to work out whether you're getting a good deal.

Should investors worry about political upheaval? The Investing Show

It's been a year of political upheaval and for investors that has meant plenty to think about - but how worried should they be? On the latest Investing Show, Henrietta Grimston, of Seven Investment Management, explains how investors can position themselves for big political and economic events and looks at how deeply they need to consider them.

50 ways to save money....

To clear the average national household debt of ?13,000 at 6% interest with a monthly repayment of ?100 will take around 17 years. There are, however, plenty of simple ways to make significant savings on your regular spending that could clear your debt - or boost your savings - in less than a year. This is Money's top 50 - updated - money-saving tips may appear light-hearted but are deadly serious.

Pick the best (and cheapest) investment Isa platform

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.

L Board sign on the rear of a blue saloon car , UK

If you are new to investing then the huge number of funds and investment trusts on offer can be confusing. Fortunately, This is Money's experts have some ideas to get you started.

On the up: Emerging markets such as Brazil are where much of the world's growth is expected to be over future years.

If you're looking to add some flair to your investing Isa with emerging markets, This is Money's experts have some ideas to get you started

Income investing: Dividends can deliver both a healthy boost to long-term growth and a way to earn from your investments.

Income investing can let you draw on your portfolio or reinvest dividends to build solid growth over time. Our experts give their fund and investment trust recommendations.

In this low-income world it can be hard to find mainstream investments paying a significant yield. Stifel has compiled a list of 19 investment trusts with a yield of more than 4 per cent.

Handy Brexit table explains the options for the UK's exit from the EU

Despite endless media coverage of the political wrangling and financial speculation, the average Briton can be forgiven for remaining confused about what 'soft' and 'hard' Brexit really mean. About the difference between the 'Norway model' for the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the UK and the 'Swiss solution'. But a clever table put together by HSBC in a report called 'Is Brexit Getting Harder?' cleaves some clarity from the murk.

It would have been nice to have a plan. Instead, after the Brexit vote we were left scratching our heads. But now it's time for some answers on trade and what we mean to the EU.

Pensions Road Sign against threatening clouds

We tend to put ambitious targets on our hoped-for income in retirement and then underestimate how much we will need to set aside to achieve that. So how much should you save?

When will UK interest rates rise?

An interest rate cut before the end of the year looks less likely following the plunge in the pound. However, the Bank of England has indicated that higher inflation driven by rising import costs won't make it lift rates.

What next for mortgage rates?

Several months after the Bank of England slashed the base rate to 0.25 per cent and lenders are still cutting mortgage rates on almost a weekly basis - but how low can they really go? The experts say not a lot lower and it's likely that if you get a mortgage at the moment, it's going to be a pretty cracking deal. 

Ten tips for buy-to-let

For many buy-to-let looks an attractive income investment in a time of low rates and stock market volatility. Climbing house prices, rising rents and improving mortgage deals are tempting investors - although they will need a big deposit. Read This is Money's top ten buy-to-let tips

TIPS, TOOLS AND HELP FOR LANDLORDS

Partner services

Landlord insurance

Quick, easy - compare and buy today

Find a mortgage

Check the best rate for your circumstances

Boiler cover

Insure your heating system for less

Let a property for £99

Save on letting agent fees - or sell from £475

Compare your pay to the UK average across 350 professions

Musicians have seen pay rises averaging nearly 20 per cent in 2015, while cleaners are getting 17.8 per cent more, and window cleaners 12.3 per cent. Artists in general are earning 14.6 per cent more in 2015 than 2014, according to the huge annual data dump of pay scales by the Office For National Statistics highlights.

Premium Bonds winners

December 2016
Prize value Winning bond No. Area
£1,000,000 277WB531615 Gloucestershire
£1,000,000 176XC192939 Essex
£100,000 272JJ577470 Stockport
£100,000 214QG669334 Greater Manchester
£100,000 168SD912436 Devon
£50,000 279ZB182370 Dorset
£50,000 267PF062139 Cheshire West and Chester
£50,000 255SE616149 Surrey
£50,000 140ZE329530 Oxfordshire
£50,000 102DP039413 Hereford and Worcester
£25,000 96SX101249 London
More Premium Bonds winners
   

MOST READ MONEY

Tourist rates

Currency Rate Buy now
Updated 13 Dec 2016.
Euro 1.1664 Buy Now
US Dollar 1.2361 Buy Now
Australian Dollar 1.6463 Buy Now
Canadian Dollar 1.6177 Buy Now
Chinese Yuan 8.3616 Buy Now
Croatian Kuna 8.661 Buy Now
Czech Koruna 31.329 Buy Now
Danish Krone 8.5972 Buy Now
Egyptian Pound 16.27 Buy Now
Hong Kong Dollar 9.5167 Buy Now
Hungarian Forint 361.82 Buy Now
Icelandic Króna 131.06 Buy Now
Israeli New Shekel 4.6043 Buy Now
Japanese Yen 142.95 Buy Now
Malaysian Ringgit 6.2624 Buy Now
Mexican Peso 24.423 Buy Now
New Turkish Lire 4.2007 Buy Now
New Zealand Dollar 1.7209 Buy Now
Norwegian Krone 10.358 Buy Now
Polish Zloty 5.1257 Buy Now
Singapore Dollar 1.7582 Buy Now
South African Rand 16.977 Buy Now
Sterling 1.0 Buy Now
Swedish Krona 11.224 Buy Now
Swiss Franc 1.2525 Buy Now
Thai Baht 43.425 Buy Now
UAE Dirham 4.51 Buy Now

Monthly Or Lump Sum Savings Calculator

Monthly savings plan

Find out how much a regular monthly savings scheme could make me.

Results
Or lump sum investments

Calculate how much a lump sum investment could be worth.

Result

Mortgage Affordability Calculator

Your monthly payment

Enter how much you plan to borrow and find out your monthly bill. Assumes interest calculated annually.

Result
Your total mortgage

Enter the amount you can afford to pay monthly (eg. your current rent) to find out how much you can borrow...

Result
Are you over-stretching

How much of your income goes on your mortgage?

Result