Weibo boasts unprecedented user growth and better than expected results – yet investors aren’t happy March 10, 2015 Weibo's user numbers soared last year and revenue went up, but many investors aren't getting the earnings per share they hoped for. The figures China's answer to Twitter had a good 2014 as far as earnings and user growth were concerned – revenue went up by 77 per cent to $334.2 (£222m), while daily active [...]
IGas share price jumps 20 per cent after Ineos deal March 10, 2015 Shares in IGas have jumped this morning, after the announcement of its £30m shale gas deal with Switzerland's Ineos, which will give the latter access to IGas shale sites in the north west and East Midlands regions of England. IGas, the UK's biggest shale gas explorer, saw its share price jump 23 per cent at 30 [...]
Grocery price war continues: Tesco’s rebound hurts Asda as Aldi reaches record market share March 10, 2015 Tesco's return to growth is stealing market share from Asda, according to the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel. The sector as a whole is still hugely competitive: the grocery price war has driven supermarket deflation to a record level of 1.6 per cent for the 12 weeks to March 1. Kantar estimated that this had [...]
London Stock Exchange “1000 companies to inspire Britain” 2015: London leads competitors Greater Manchester and Essex March 10, 2015 Specialty beer firm BrewDog, challenger bank Metro Bank and high-street café Patisserie Valerie are all among the "1000 companies to inspire Britain" named by the London Stock Exchange. The report, supported by Lloyds Bank, the Business Growth Fund and Cenkos Securities, is in its second year. Most of the companies more than doubled their revenue in [...]
Aldermore share price jumps on its first day of trading March 10, 2015 Shares in Aldermore rose 10 per cent to 212p as its first day of conditional trading began on the London Stock Exchange this morning. The challenger bank priced its offering of 34.8 per cent of issued share capital at 192p per share, near the top of its 155p-195p range. The price gave it a market [...]
Prudential share price slides despite profit rise as Tidjane Thiam prepares move to Credit Suisse March 10, 2015 The numbers Prudential has reported a profit before tax of £2.6bn for 2014 – 60 per cent up from the previous year. Operating profit rose 14 per cent to £3.1bn. The company's full year dividend climbed by 10 per cent to 36p per share. The Pru's capital surplus is estimated to stand at £4.7bn. Why it's [...]
Ocado sales jump 19.2 per cent as company says it expects to keep growing ahead of the curve March 10, 2015 The figures Ocado’s group sales jumped 19.2 per cent in the 12 weeks to 22 February, rising to £271.1m, from £227.5m during the same period last year. Meanwhile, retail sales were up a similarly impressive 15.2 per cent to £252.0m, two months after the company reported its first profit. Ocado said that on 22 February it had [...]
G4S share price rises on back of higher profits March 10, 2015 The numbers Outsourcing firm G4S has reported a pre-tax profit of £148m for 2014 – up from a loss of £190m the previous year. Revenue climbed 3.9 per cent to £6.7bn while earnings per share increased to 13.6p from 12.9p. Profit before interest, tax and amortisation was in line with City estimates at £424m – 7.9 [...]
Prudential boss Tidjane Thiam jumps into Credit Suisse role March 9, 2015 Prudential boss Tidjane Thiam is set to leave the FTSE 100 giant later this year to head Swiss banking titan Credit Suisse, it emerged last night. The surprise exit, which would bring the curtain down on a six-year tenure at the helm of the Pru, is expected to be announced as soon as this morning, [...]
Institute of Directors presses for chair of Barclays’ pay board Sir John Sunderland to go March 9, 2015 Investors and business groups attacked Barclays’ long-serving director Sir John Sunderland yesterday, accusing the bank of failing to honour a pledge to replace him as chairman of the remuneration committee. Last April, Barclays said that Sunderland would leave the bank “at a date to be agreed”, and would be replaced by Crawford Gillies. But 11 [...]