Five ways to clean up your buy-to-let portfolio in 2019 January 9, 2019 While January is a great time to be making financial resolutions, with many over-spending at Christmas, it’s sometimes best to concentrate on making the most of what you already have. For 2.5m people owning £1.4 trillion of buy-to-let, investment property is the best place to start. It comprises an enormous part of personal wealth, it [...]
UK labour productivity falls in ‘very weak’ quarter January 9, 2019 UK labour productivity decreased 0.4 per cent in the third quarter of last year, while annual growth was at its weakest in two years. Output per hour fell 0.4 per cent compared with the previous quarter and grew just 0.2 per cent on the third quarter of 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics. [...]
Shoe Zone shares soar as retailer posts record profits January 9, 2019 Shares in discount footwear Shoe Zone soared more than 10 per cent this morning on the news that the group had secured its highest profit since it floated in 2014. The figures Profit before tax increased 18.4 per cent to £11.3m for the year to the end of September, up from £9.5m in 2017, and [...]
Taylor Wimpey shares jump as housebuilder maintains expectations despite uncertainty January 9, 2019 Taylor Wimpey saw its share price rise today as it remains on track to meet its full-year expectations, despite the slowing housing market. In an eagerly-anticipated trading update the housebuilder said total house completions increased three per cent in 2018 to 14,947, while total order book value was £1.78bn, up from £1.62bn the same time last [...]
Mothercare sticks to guidance despite falling UK sales January 9, 2019 Mothercare sales plunged in the three months to mid-January, it told investors today, though the business remains on track to deliver on its full-year guidance. Like-for-like UK sales dropped by 11.4 per cent over the parent and baby chain’s third quarter as it blamed “challenging trading conditions” as well as its programme of store closures. [...]
DNO crowned king in battle for Faroe as shareholders and board accept increased bid January 9, 2019 Norwegian DNO is on the cusp of declaring victory in its battle for Faroe Petroleum as it enters agreements to buy half of the company’s shares by the end of the week. The bidder said it had managed to convince investors holding around 52.4 per cent of Faroe shares to sell. Read more: DNO's increased hostile bid [...]
Sales slip at Topps Tiles but boss hails robust result in tough retail climate January 9, 2019 Sales at Topps Tiles slipped 1.4 per cent in the 13 weeks to 29 December compared to the same period last year, the tile retailer said today. Despite the sales decrease its chief executive Matthew Williams hailed Topps' robust performance. “Against a challenging market backdrop and a strong period of performance in the prior year [...]
Police and army launch investigation after drone grounds Heathrow flights January 9, 2019 Police have brought in help from the military as they carry out an investigation into a drone sighting that brought Heathrow airport to a standstill last night. The Met police said it has launched a “full criminal investigation” into the drone, which grounded flights for roughly an hour last night, just weeks after a similar [...]
Cherry on the cake: Greggs shares rise as baker lifts profit outlook for third time in a year January 9, 2019 Greggs is on a roll, seeing off problems in the food sector which have hit competitors to up its profit guidance for the third time in less than a year today. The chain said it now expects 2018 profits before tax of £88m, up from predictions of £86m in November. The Newcastle-founded baker is celebrating its [...]
Markets lift as US-China trade talks reach conclusion January 9, 2019 Trade talks in Beijing between China and the US have concluded, with the results of the negotiations expected to be announced shortly. Asian markets lifted this morning on hopes that a deal had been secured. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed up more than two per cent and the Shanghai Composite was up almost one [...]