National Australia Bank shareholders approve plans to demerge Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank in IPO next month January 27, 2016 Shareholders in National Australia Bank (NAB), which owns Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank, last night voted overwhelmingly in favour of plans to spin off Clydesdale and float it on the London and Australian stock-markets next month. Clydesdale Group, which includes Yorkshire Bank and is often referred to as CYBG, is valued at an estimated £2bn. It is one of the largest of [...]
UK chip designer Arm hit by Apple results as share price slides January 27, 2016 Everyone's favourite Brit chip designer, Arm Holdings, has been hit by disappointing results from Apple, with shares sliding 2.3 per cent to 991.5p in early trading. The Silicon Valley giant is one of Arm's biggest customers, which makes its money by licencing designs for microchips to the likes of Apple and many of its rivals. Last night [...]
Hinkley Point nuclear plant investment decision delayed as EDF struggles with financing for the £18bn project January 27, 2016 Britain’s first nuclear reactor for a generation is facing fresh delays as French energy giant EDF struggles to find financing for the £18bn project. French paper Lec Echos reported that the final investment decision on Hinkley Point will not take place today, as was widely expected, and that EDF is seeking extra support from the French government. It said the [...]
Peak Apple: Sales slow at the world’s largest company as boss Tim Cook blames extreme conditions January 27, 2016 The world's biggest company, Apple, set a new record for US corporate profits last night yet warned that sales are on the verge of tumbling for the first time in over a decade. The tech giant expects revenue of $50bn (£35bn) to $53bn in the opening three months of this year, down from $58bn in [...]
Crest Nicholson shares rally as full-year profits jump by a third January 26, 2016 Crest Nicholson has posted bumper full-year profits as the housebuilder stormed ahead with plans to build 4,000 homes by 2019. Home completions rose by eight per cent to 2,725 homes in the year to 31 October, with sales revenues up by 26 per cent to £804.8m. The strong performance helped drive a 32 per cent [...]
Sushi and sandwich maker Greencore serves up a jump in quarterly sales January 26, 2016 Food supplier Greencore has recorded a 7.2 per cent jump in first quarter sales, boosted by new product launches and strong growth in its convenience food business. The company, which suppliers supermarkets with products ranging from sushi to cakes and yorkshire puddings, reported sales of £356m in the 13 weeks to 25 December 2015. Its convenience food [...]
Generali boss Mario Greco leaving to take up chief exec role at rival Zurich Insurance January 26, 2016 Mario Greco, chief executive of Italian insurer Generali, is to step down at the end of his current contract, in order to take up the helm at Zurich Insurance. He will replace Tom de Swaan, who has been leading Zurich since Martin Senn quit as boss on 1 December, after the company’s attempted takeover of UK insurer RSA [...]
Tesco’s not out of the woods yet January 26, 2016 Tesco is still very much paying for the sins of the past, but it has started to turn the corner on the slow road to recovery. The coming weeks are likely to contain some unpleasant tidings for the embattled supermarket. The slap on the wrist from the grocery watchdog for failing to treat suppliers fairly is [...]
FTSE 100 index rebounds as oil prices climb and miners rally January 26, 2016 The FTSE 100 index closed up on Tuesday as the price of oil rebounded and mining stocks began to rally. The UK's blue-chip index rose 0.59 per cent to 5,911 points, led by Anglo American and Glencore as the price of oil staggered back over $30 a barrel. "A short-squeeze in crude oil has dragged markets out [...]
Tesco faces legal battle with shareholders over profits scandal January 26, 2016 Angry shareholders are poised to launch legal action against Tesco over the billions of pounds in value wiped off the supermarket chain in 2014 following revelations of its £265m profits black hole. Law firm Stewarts Law said it will shortly be writing to the company on behalf of institutional shareholders as the prelude to formal legal action, which will seek to [...]