Greek debt crisis: Alexis Tsipras calls emergency parliament session to vote on new bailout deal August 12, 2015 Greece’s prime minister Alexis Tsipras has called an emergency session of parliament to vote on a new bailout deal after the cash-strapped country reached an agreement with its creditors earlier today. The multi-billion dollar bailout deal was agreed upon after another overnight set of talks starting Monday afternoon, and will help the country remain in [...]
Brazil’s credit rating nears junk status after Moody’s downgrade August 12, 2015 Moody’s cut Brazil’s credit rating to near-junk status yesterday, the second rating downgrade the country has sustained since President Dilma Rousseff came to power in 2011. The decision comes two weeks after rival ratings firm Standard & Poor’s (S&P) warned Brazil could lose its investment grade if fallout from a number of corruption investigations weighs [...]
Chinese shock leaves the FTSE 100 nursing losses after renminbi devaluation August 12, 2015 The FTSE 100 fell by 72 points yesterday as luxury goods and mining firms suffered from China’s unexpected devaluation of the renminbi. The Chinese devaluation, news of which broke after the FTSE closed on Monday night, saw Burberry shares open 12p down on the previous day at 1,595p, before falling throughout the day to [...]
S&P 500 pegged back by rising greenback: US stock index limping due to burgeoning power of dollar August 12, 2015 The strong dollar is hindering growth in US equities this year, analysts are warning. The US dollar has been persistently strong in the last year, and has risen around 18 per cent on a trade weighted basis against a basket of other currencies in 12 months. It has continued to strengthen throughout this year, and [...]
Former Co-operative Bank execs to face regulator scrutiny August 12, 2015 The Co-operative Bank may have avoided paying a financial penalty for its “serious and wide-ranging failings” between 2009 and 2013, but it is expected that the firm’s former management will face fines and punishments in the months ahead. The Bank of England’s prudential regulation authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said yesterday [...]
Card Factory set to return cash to investors as new stores boost sales August 12, 2015 Budget greetings card chain Card Factory announced yesterday that it plans to return cash to shareholders after the opening of new stores and a relaunch of its website helped boost sales in the first half. The Wakefield-based retailer said total sales grew by eight per cent in the six months to 31 July thanks to [...]
Currency chaos splits global profit outlook as Eurozone businesses outpace UK and US rivals August 12, 2015 Currency turmoil is wreaking havoc with British and American company earnings, leaving businesses trailing the growth of rivals in the Eurozone. Profit growth in the Eurozone is on track to race past American levels for the first time since 2007 and leave the UK for dust after reporting forecast-busting earnings in the latest reporting [...]
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway risks downgrading by Standard & Poor’s after Precision Castparts deal August 11, 2015 Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway risks being downgraded by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, after its record deal to buy aerospace manufacturer Precision Castparts. The acquisition worth $37.2bn has caused S&P to worry about Berkshire Hathaway’s cash resources, putting it on "CreditWatch Negative". The company is currently rated "AA", the third-highest of 10 possible ratings. Read [...]
Prudential delivers higher profit as Asia business keeps growing August 11, 2015 Prudential yesterday reported a 17 per cent increase in operating profits in Asia during the six months to 30 June, soothing City fears that the firm’s exposure to China would affect its performance. The financial services company’s operating profits from its Asian business totalled £632m for the first half of the year. Prudential announced a [...]
How Google is breaking the rules of corporate branding to get its Alphabet to pay off August 11, 2015 Google’s creation of its Alphabet parent is a future-looking, ambitious strategy that few others would have the boldness to do. But it’s bold for a reason: creating new challenges for Alphabet to make it a real success. What Google is doing breaks the normal rules of corporate branding. Read more: Three things you should know [...]