Serco sheds 16pc on tagging-related profit warning January 30, 2014 Disgraced government contractor Serco has seen its shares plunge 16 per cent this morning, after it issued a profit warning. Serco announced that it’s expecting a fall in operating profit of up to 20 per cent in 2014, because of less work being secured and the "attrition" from lost contracts, including the government's electronic tagging [...]
Trader mistake sends HSBC shares soaring January 30, 2014 Someone out there is probably feeling very daft right now, after a huge fat finger saw some hefty HSBC price action. A 1.6m share order saw shares rocket. Over 1.6m shares traded on that $HSBA spike to 688p, possibly a #HFT algo ran amok? Expensive mistake if so! #HSBC RO pic.twitter.com/5OtFjki1ty — IGSquawk (@IGSquawk) January [...]
Mortgages lead lending pickup but firms see less from banks January 30, 2014 The UK saw mortgage approvals hit a six-year high of 71,638 in December, up 29.3 per cent year-on-year, according to the Bank of England (BoE). Lending for mortgages led the marginal pickup in bank lending, which was up 1.3 per cent year-on-year in December. Home lending rose by £1.7bn in December, higher than the £1.05bn [...]
Nintendo’s new business plan: A health ‘platform’ January 30, 2014 A day after Nintendo announced tumbling profits on the back of lacklustre Wii U sales, company president Satoru Iwata has announced, while speaking in Tokyo, that the video game maker is planning to work on a health product to improve customers' quality of life. Unveiling the firm's new strategy for growth, he didn’t give details [...]
Diageo shares dive on cost cutting January 30, 2014 British spirit maker Diageo is the FTSE 100’s biggest faller this morning, down over five per cent. Recent emerging market turmoil hit the drinks firm, which has reported net sales growth of just 1.8 per cent in the first half, having seen growth of 2.2 per cent in the first quarter. In a bid to [...]
Dassault Systemes snaps up US software company in $750m deal January 30, 2014 San Diego-based software provider Accelrys, whose clients include AstraZeneca, Du Pont and Unilever, is set to be bought by France's Dassault Systemes for $750m (£452) in an attempt to expand its product range. The Accelrys board has unanimously approved the deal which is expected to be concluded in the second quarter of 2014. Dassault is [...]
German unemployment rate sees surprise fall in January January 30, 2014 At least one Eurozone country isn't struggling. German unemployment fell by a seasonally adjusted 28,000 in January, much greater than December's 15,000 drop. Economists had expected unemployment to fall by just 5,000. Berenberg's Rob Wood says that this reflects a German economy that "is humming along", with this fall the largest in two-and-a-half years. That [...]
193,000 Brits had their Christmas dinner in an M&B pub January 30, 2014 Toby Carvery owner Mitchells & Butler sold an impressive 193,000 meals on Christmas Day, as more people opted to bypass the culinary pressure. Milder weather meant more customers ventured out this year, M&B said. The pub chain, which also owns All Bar One and Browns, sold 6.9m meals in the three weeks to 4 [...]
Ericsson results miss expectations as North America fails to deliver January 30, 2014 Swedish communications giant Ericsson has performed below analysts expectations posting a fall in sales and fourth quarter operating profit. Sales in networks also declined by one per cent in the quarter from the same period a year earlier. Sales at Ericsson were 67bn krona (£6.2bn) against a forecast of 69.3bn krona. Ericsson's earnings before interest [...]
Sky’s growing customers fail to stop profits falling January 30, 2014 Broadcasting giant Sky has reported a fall in profit before tax from £642m to £527m for the half financial year 2013/14 compared to a year earlier. In the six months to 31 December operating profit fell by a hefty 16 per cent. The company said it was moving through a year of investment, absorbing the [...]