Whole Foods share price takes an unhealthy turn as group unveils new capital strategy November 4, 2015 Shares in healthy supermarket chain Whole Foods Market dropped by 7.31 per cent in after hours trading, as the company unveiled plans for a $1bn (£650m) share repurchase programme and revealed that same-store sales had declined by 0.2 per cent in the final quarter of its financial year. Total sales increased by six per cent to [...]
Electronics company Qualcomm profits crash 44pc to $1.1bn for its fourth quarter of 2015 November 4, 2015 Electronics company Qualcomm today announced net income for its fourth quarter of 2015 had shot down 44 per cent to $1.1bn (£710m) from $1.9bn for the same period last year. Revenue for the company’s last quarter also dropped, although not quite so dramatically, falling 18 per cent to $5.5bn from $6.7bn. “Our fiscal fourth quarter [...]
Europe remains the main trade partner for UK small businesses despite recent Chinese trade visit November 4, 2015 The UK’s small businesses remain dependent on Europe as their main trading partner, despite the much-vaunted Chinese visit to boost trade relations. UK SMEs do 22-times as much trade with their European neighbours than with China, according to data from money transfer firm World First. In October, UK companies bought £198m-worth of euros, up 59 [...]
Candy Crush creator King Digital Entertainment sees revenue fall seven per cent in third quarter November 4, 2015 Revenue for King Digital Entertainment has taken a knock for its third quarter results, revealed today, dropping seven per cent to $480m (£312m), compared to $514m for the same period in 2014. The mobile phone games developer highlighted falling sales in its popular Candy Crush franchise as one of the reasons behind the drop in [...]
21st Century Fox’s first quarter revenues are a fantastic flop, slipping 6 per cent and sending share prices falling November 4, 2015 21st Century Fox saw its revenue drop to $6.1bn for its first quarter of 2016, falling six per cent from $6.5bn for the same period in the prior year. The media giant, known for films like The Fantastic Four, blamed lower cinema ticket takings as part of the reason behind the results. Revenue for its film [...]
M&G Investments completes £247m refinancing for 33 Lightsource solar parks November 4, 2015 M&G Investments, Prudential's European asset-management arm, has completed a £247m refinancing for 33 solar parks. The deal with European solar energy company Lightsource is a 22-year, inflation-linked senior financing (which has repayment priority over other lenders) and brings M&G’s debt investment in the sector to over £385m in the past 12 months. Lightsource has raised [...]
OneSavings Bank results: challenger bank reports a rise in its loan book November 4, 2015 Challenger OneSavings Bank reported a rise in its loan book for the first three quarters today, saying it continued to expect full-year growth to be a “few percentage points ahead” of the 29 per cent growth delivered last year. The specialist lending and retail savings bank first listed on the London Stock Exchange last year. The [...]
Andrew Tyrie criticises CMA retail banking review November 4, 2015 The chairman of an influential parliamentary committee has sharply criticised the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over its retail banking probe, accusing the competition watchdog of "downplay[ing] the problems created by free-in-credit banking". “The public have concluded that they have been ripped off by banks for years, and there is a good deal of evidence [...]
At the close: Mining companies Glencore, Anglo American and BHP Billiton take FTSE 100 higher November 4, 2015 The FTSE 100 ended Wednesday's session slightly higher, led by gains in mining companies. The UK's top blue chip index ended the day 0.46 per cent up at 6,412 points. The day's biggest riser was Glencore, the embattled mining giant, which has been struggling to reassure investors worried about the size of its debt pile. It today announced a [...]
Facebook director Marc Andressen offloads $32m of shares ahead of results November 4, 2015 Facebook board member and serial tech investor Marc Andressen has sold off 300,000 Facebook shares valued at $32m (£20m) ahead of the social media giant’s latest quarterly results. The move has sparked concerns that Andressen has a negative outlook on the value of Facebook stock. The 11-year old company is expected to report strong third-quarter [...]