Viewpoint: The retail investor should not be ignored March 17, 2014 HOW CAN any company which relies on the custom of the public ignore them when it floats on the market? Certainly it seems wrong to deny your customers a chance to share in your company’s fortunes. The current resurgence of initial public offerings in the London market is certainly welcome. But it isn’t good news [...]
Website star David Buttress backs London March 17, 2014 WHEN King.com decided earlier this year to float in New York, it appeared as if London’s larger flourishing technology companies were all headed for listings across the Atlantic, writes David Hellier. Experts talked about the better ecosystem in New York, the plentiful technology analysts, and a fuller understanding of the sector’s growth potential. But yesterday [...]
Vodafone’s Ono takeover marks a new chapter March 17, 2014 VODAFONE’S €7.2bn (£6bn) purchase of Spanish cable operator Ono was announced yesterday as the FTSE 100 firm said it has now started a new chapter in its corporate history. Shares in Vodafone jumped 1.73 per cent on news of the deal which will give Vodafone a stronger position in the Spanish market where it has [...]
Bottom Line: Time for Colao to hunt bigger fish March 17, 2014 VODAFONE’s chief executive was crystal clear when asked yesterday whether he was planning bids for either ITV or Channel 5. No. But Vittorio Colao was less crystal clear when a tie-up with BSkyB was hinted at, saying the company was in talks with potential partners on commercial deals. Vodafone customers already have access to Sky [...]
Poundland and Pets start trading March 17, 2014 MILLIONS of shares in Pets at Home and Poundland changed hands yesterday after the two retailers officially started trading on the London Stock Exchange. Poundland boss Jim McCarthy opened trading in a ceremony at the exchange but shares in the company closed 2.6 per cent lower at 375p a share. About 2m Poundland shares changed [...]
Boohoo.com finance chief bags 20 per cent of share options March 17, 2014 BOOHOO.COM, the online retailer that debuted on the London Aim last Friday, said yesterday it had awarded its chief financial officer over 20 per cent of its initial share options. The Manchester-based firm’s said that 9,746,000 share options were granted to employees. The options will vest in three years, at an exercise price of 50p, [...]
Sweet tweets as El-Erian waves Pimco goodbye March 17, 2014 FORMER Pimco chief executive and co-chief information officer Mohamed El- Erian may have left the world’s largest bond giant behind, but it seems the finance whizz has already found a potentially bigger audience. El-Erian, who is chief economic advisor at Allianz, joined Twitter only yesterday – and promptly racked up more than 10,000 followers. Using [...]
Budget buzzword bets of 5/2 on Osborne chewing the fat over diet March 17, 2014 IT’S that time again – another chance to play Budget buzzword bingo! If all that serious talk about childcare payments and pension rights leaves you cold, try focusing instead on George Osborne’s exact words tomorrow – and maybe win a pound or two in the process. Ladbrokes has tailored its latest odds to the chancellor’s [...]
High Speed 2 to lose a link from North to Europe March 17, 2014 BUSINESS groups broadly supported plans to shake up the High Speed 2 project yesterday, though concerns remain about the benefits of the railway and the loss of direct trains from the English regions into Europe. Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin yesterday agreed to scrap plans for a £700m link between HS2 and the Channel Tunnel route, [...]
Shore Capital in the money after markets boost March 17, 2014 CITY finance firm Shore Capital yesterday said it doubled profits last year after a strong showing from its equity capital markets division. The business, founded by Howard Shore in 1985, said the division saw its pre-tax profits rise up 19.4 per cent from £5.1m to £6m. Overall revenues for the company rose nine per cent [...]