High street retailer confidence rises ahead of Christmas November 5, 2015 High street retailers are feeling more confident about Christmas this year, with the majority predicting a rise in revenues according to research from Barclays, despite warnings from retailers including SuperGroup and Marks & Spencer of challenges ahead. Barclays said 79 per cent of retailers surveyed expect revenues to increase over the Christmas period compared to [...]
Former directors at City Link deny failure to inform of hundreds of job losses in court November 5, 2015 **Waiting on a comment from EY by 5. **Link to Express & Star story: http://www.expressandstar.com/business/city-news/2015/11/05/city-link-bosses-failed-to-tell-ministers-of-redundancies/ Short hed: City Link denies criminal charge in trial City Link's three former directors are denying that they failed to inform officials of hundreds of job losses in the first day of a two-day trial. The collapsed parcel delivery company, which [...]
Shawbrook results: Challenger bank says profits jumped 68 per cent thanks to more SME demand for loans November 5, 2015 Shares in challenger bank Shawbrook jumped today after the bank said that its profits are soaring thanks to growing demand from small and medium-sized businesses for loans. Shawbrook, which was founded in 2011 and made its debut on the London Stock Exchange earlier this year, said that its underlying profit rose by 68 per cent during [...]
Tata Steel posts profit rise despite UK crisis November 5, 2015 India-based steel giant Tata has posted an increase in profit of 22 per cent to 15.29bn rupees (£152m) for its third quarter compared to the previous year. The rise in profit comes just weeks after 1,200 jobs in the UK were cut and plants shut down due to an industry supply crisis and falling raw material [...]
Tech stocks: How does the all-time high of Facebook’s share price compare with Amazon, Twitter, Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo? November 5, 2015 Facebook's value has topped $300bn with shares hitting an all-time high following stellar third quarter results yesterday. The social network posted quarterly earning after the bell on Wednesday, showing sales soared by over 40 per cent and mobile growth boomed in the third quarter. “We had a good quarter and got a lot done,” chief exec Mark [...]
Shares rise at Splenda sweetener-maker Tate & Lyle as profits beat forecasts November 5, 2015 Shares in Tate & Lyle have edged 1.6 per cent higher today after the food ingredients giant posted better-than-expected first half profits, in a sign that its turnaround strategy may be paying off. The figures Adjusted profit before tax rose by 28 per cent to £103m in the six months to 30 September compared with [...]
Barclays share price picks up on the news new chief executive Jes Staley has bought 2.8 million shares November 5, 2015 Barclays' new chief executive, Jes Staley, has spent £6.5m buying shares in the lender. The former JP Morgan investment banker bought 2,790,000 ordinary shares for 233p each, the lowest price the shares have traded at since January. Shares dropped as low as 229.3p this morning but have now picked up, hovering around 231p, down 0.1 per cent. Last [...]
AstraZeneca share price rises on improved full-year outlook November 5, 2015 AstraZeneca is optimistic about its full-year figures, and the news has gone down a treat with investors. The figures The British drugmaker has revised its 2015 sales guidance to be “in line” with last year, a slight improvement from a the low single-digit decline it previously anticipated. Similarly, core earnings per share are now expected [...]
Thomas Cook share price hit as UK government cancels flights to Sharm el-Sheikh airport November 5, 2015 Shares in Thomas Cook fell 5.8 per cent to 113.55p in early trading, after the UK government cancelled flights to Sharm el-Sheikh. David Cameron grounded flights to the Egyptian resort last night, saying the safety of British citizens was the government's "first priority", after a Russian Metrojet flight from Sharm crashed in the Sinai peninsula at the [...]
FTSE 100 index opens marginally down despite gains from RSA, AstraZeneca and Glencore November 5, 2015 The FTSE 100 opened marginally lower this morning, despite a positive outlook from AstraZeneca and RSA, and continued support for Glencore following on from yesterday. The UK's top bluechip index was down 0.25 per cent at 6,395 points, led lower by supermarket Morrisons, which reported sales continued to tumble this morning. Total sales excluding fuel were down two per cent, while [...]