US job openings growth was way lower than expected in April May 6, 2016 Job openings in the US slid back more than expected in April, figures published today showed – after one of the country's weakest quarters in years. The non-farm payroll figure fell to 160,000, against analyst consensus of 200,000 Last month's figures showed an unexpected rise in joblessness – although the number of job openings beat expectations. [...]
Inmarsat shares suffer for the second day in a row May 6, 2016 Investors continued to punish Inmarsat after the satellite and communication services company cut its full-year revenue forecast yesterday. Inmarsat shares slumped 4.6 per cent to 823.5p in late-morning trading, taking their decline to 26.1 per cent year-to-date. Read more: Inmarsat gets ready for lift-off It comes a day after Inmarsat shares plummeted yesterday after it lowered its full-year revenue forecast by $50m [...]
Numis founder and chief executive to step down May 6, 2016 Brokerage Numis said today that founder and chief executive, Oliver Hemsley, is due to step down in the Autumn. Hemsley will remain on the board as an executive director once he's been succeeded by Alex Ham and Ross Mitchinson as joint-chief executives. Read more: Numis expects to report year-on-year revenue and profits growth Ham and Mitchinson will [...]
Rio Tinto gives go-ahead to £3.7bn Oyu Tolgoi mine expansion May 6, 2016 Rio Tinto and its partners gave the greenlight to a $5.3bn (£3.7bn) expansion of its Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mogolia today. The move demonstrates the mining giant's confidence that low copper prices will stage a turnaround in a few years time. The London-listed company, the Mongolian government and Turquoise Hill Resources, approved the next stage in the [...]
Does blaming slower growth on the EU referendum just mask deeper problems with the UK economy? May 6, 2016 James Sproule, chief economist at the Institute of Directors, says Yes. Economic data seem to suggest that UK businesses and consumers alike are holding back on long-term commitments as they are worried about the EU referendum. Quite possibly, but this is only part of the story. Economic slowdown is not just affecting the UK, it seems [...]
The falling oil price could be about to trigger one of the biggest ever waves of bankruptcies in the US May 5, 2016 The oil price slump could be pushing the US to one of its biggest waves of bankruptcies. This week Midstates Petroleum and Ultra Petroleum went under, pushing the total number of energy sector bankruptcies to 59 since the beginning of the oil rout, according to Reuters data, the law firm Haynes & Boone and bankruptcydata.com. The avalanche of bankruptcies is closing [...]
At the close: Steady as she goes on the FTSE 100? May 5, 2016 Markets were put through their paces today, but failed to hold onto early gains as the bad stories just kept on coming. The FTSE 100 closed the day up 0.1 per cent at 6,117.25 after starting with a 40-point ascent in the first 90 minutes of trading. The French Cac 40 slipped back 0.3 per cent [...]
Saudi Aramco raises oil prices into Asia in biggest hike for more than a year May 5, 2016 Saudi Aramco, the Saudi Arabian state-owned oil company, is hiking oil prices into Asia in the biggest rise for over a year. Aramco, which recently announced that a five per cent listing of its shares later this year would value it at around $2 trillion, said today it will raise its official selling price for benchmark Arab [...]
Portmeirion buys candle maker Wax Lyrical for £17.5m May 5, 2016 Portmeirion, the owner of Spode and Royal Worcester has bought candles to go with its tableware after snapping up Wax Lyrical for £17.5m. The Aim-listed firm said it has acquired the entire share capital of Lighthouse Holdings, the parent company of the Lake District business and the UK's biggest manufacturer of home fragrances. Wax Lyrical is both [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open May 5, 2016 Oil has steamed ahead so far today, with West Texas Intermediate crude oil higher by three per cent at $45.70 a barrel after wildfires in Canada, as well as fighting in Libya dragged on production. International benchmark Brent crude added 2.6 per cent to $45.75 a barrel. Yesterday the latest US inventories posted a higher than expected addition to stockpiles [...]