Pension Insurance Corporation prospers despite fall in new business August 20, 2015 Pension Insurance Corporation yesterday said profits rose during the first half of the year despite a fall in the amount of new business. The company, chaired by Sir Mark Weinberg and led by ex-Goldman Sachs exec Tracy Blackwell, buys the stocks and bonds of final salary pension schemes and takes over responsibility of pensioner payments, [...]
Twitter’s share price is diving… again August 19, 2015 Twitter shares have taken another dive after recovering moderately from an all-time low in recent weeks. Shares are down by nearly four per cent to $27.18 per share in morning US trading, their second lowest intraday price after hitting an all-time low almost a fortnight ago. Shares touched $26.87 on 7 August and closed at $27.04 [...]
Glencore share price falls to record low as profits plunge amid commodities rout August 19, 2015 The figures Glencore reported a net loss of $676m (£431m) in the first half of 2014, thanks to tumbling commodity prices. That's down 139 per cent from a $1.72bn profit during the same period a year earlier. The company said adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation – another measure of profitability – fell [...]
Lost cost airline Norwegian will offer £179 flights from London to Boston August 19, 2015 If the price of travel to the States was putting you off, fret no more. You will soon be able to travel to the city of the Boston Celtics and sitcom Cheers for just £179. Norwegian, a low cost airline, will be offering four flights a week from Gatwick to Boston from May 2016, the [...]
Admiral Group share price soars as first half profit inches up August 19, 2015 Insurer Admiral climbed to the top of the FTSE 100 today after its shares jumped 4.6 per cent to 1,534p per share in early afternoon trade. The Cardiff-based group reported pre-tax profit rose one per cent to £186.1m in the six months to 30 June 2015, from £184.9m during the same period a year earlier. This smashed analysts' [...]
Walmart’s Asda has reached its “nadir” says chief Andy Clarke as supermarket chalks up more declines August 19, 2015 Asda boss Andy Clarke has said the troubled supermarket's “nadir” has been reached, as the Walmart-owned retailer revealed yet another slump in sales. Second quarter like-for-likes were down 4.7 per cent, while profits were flat. Clarke described the figures as “disappointing, but a short-term picture”. “We've hit our nadir,” Clarke said insisting there was [...]
Hackers expose details of 37m users of cheating website Ashley Madison August 19, 2015 Hackers appear to have followed through on their threat to expose the details of millions of users of the extramarital affair site Ashley Madison, which is soon to embark on a multimillion-pound float in London. Almost 10 gigabytes of user data were posted to the “dark web” overnight, according to reports, and have since been [...]
FCA drops investigation into Quindell in light of Serious Fraud Office probe August 18, 2015 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has dropped its investigation into troubled insurance outsourcer Quindell with immediate effect, making way for the criminal investigation being carried out by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). "Quindell announces that it has been informed by the FCA that, in light of the investigation by the SFO into past business and accounting [...]
UK tech sector growth falls to two-year low, dragged by election jitters and Eurozone woes August 18, 2015 The UK’s tech sector growth fell to a two-year low, with activity slowing in the second quarter dragged by election jitters and Eurozone woes. Tech has been booming lately, and the latest figures mark three years of sustained business activity growth in the sector. But expansion is at its weakest pace since early 2013, according [...]
Austin Reed puts Regent Street flagship store up for sale August 18, 2015 Austin Reed has put its flagship store on Regent Street up for sale just months after undergoing a painful restructuring that involved closing 31 stores to pay down debts. The 114-year-old tailor, which counts International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde among its customers, has instructed agents James Andrew International to sell the lease on its [...]