Safe havens at risk of crunch August 26, 2014 ASSETS like gold and US government bonds could be vulnerable to a crunch as the recovery takes off, Blackrock warned yesterday. The so-called safe haven assets shot up in price in the crisis, and so could drop back as investors returned to riskier assets such as equities. “Gold and short – to intermediate – duration US [...]
UTV gets revenue kick from World Cup fans August 26, 2014 Northern Irish radio and television broadcaster UTV Media reported a 13 per cent jump in first-half revenue as its radio stations drew in fans for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The company, which held radio rights to the finals, expects third-quarter revenue to grow three per cent, underpinned by improving economic conditions in the UK [...]
Private Swiss banks open up to more scrutiny August 26, 2014 SWISS bank Pictet published its financial results yesterday for the first time in its 209-year history. Three other banks in the notoriously secretive industry are also preparing to publish financial data in an unprecedented display of openness. The Swiss industry has come under enormous pressure from international regulators and tax authorities, who suspect private banks [...]
Stagecoach’s revenue grows August 26, 2014 TRANSPORT group Stagecoach yesterday reported “satisfactory” second quarter revenue growth across all its divisions. The Scotland-based group, which transports three million customers a day, also expected no change to adjusted earnings per share for the current year. The firm posted a 14.4 per cent increase in revenue growth for London bus operations for the period [...]
Advertising giant WPP need not fret over black swans – Bottom Line August 26, 2014 The sun, I hope, has finally made an appearance this morning, to remind us that – despite this week’s cold and wind and rain – we are still, technically, in summertime. There have been several common themes to the summer months of 2014. A constant stream of miserable data about the Eurozone economy, is one. [...]
Just 15 per cent think challenger banks are better than big lenders August 26, 2014 New banks want to establish themselves as a fresh alternative to the dominant high street banks which have taken the blame for the financial crisis. But it is a tough ask. For new research out today from U-Switch suggests the public is not impressed with their offerings so far. Just 15 per cent think the [...]
Copper decline crushes profits at Antofagasta August 26, 2014 MINING giant Antofagasta saw its shares slump yesterday, after it revealed its profits had taken a big hit in the first half, with the lower price of copper and higher costs damaging its bottom line. Pre-tax profits during the six months to 30 June were $850.7m (£512.8m), down 13.3 per cent on $981 over the [...]
HMV bounds back and finds its voice on the high street – Brand Index August 26, 2014 Are we witnessing a comeback from traditional high street retailer HMV? Recent figures suggest so, with announcements highlighting stronger sales and consumer perception. There was much public hand-wringing when HMV were placed into administration, leading to the closure of a number of stores following competition from online retailers such as Amazon. Since then, the brand [...]
Petrofac profit plunge but order record may offer rebound ahead August 26, 2014 NET PROFIT at oil services provider Petrofac fell by a huge 44 per cent during the first half of 2014, though the company said it expected a much stronger second half would keep it on course to meet full-year profit targets, as it also revealed record order levels. During the first half of the year [...]
Who said it? Was it The Office’s David Brent or Telecity’s Michael Tobin? August 26, 2014 In retrospect, publishing a book called, Forget Strategy, Get Results, probably wasn’t the best thing for Telecity chief Michael Tobin to publish in April this year. Four months later, and he’s making a surprise resignation, “to make way for a new CEO”. Perhaps the board quite fancied a bit of strategy after all. But [...]