‘Bond market tantrum risks’: Gilt traders brace for Labour leftward pivot as Starmer future uncertain
Royal Mail share price sent higher by end to rival Whistl’s LDC deal April 30, 2015 Royal Mail shares shot up 5.3 per cent yesterday on news Lloyds private equity arm LDC had pulled out of investment talks with the owner of rival postal service Whistl. LDC said its decision to end discussions with Dutch postal operator PostNL was due to “ongoing changes in postal market dynamics and the complexity [...]
When raiders strike: Are US activist investors in City boardrooms a force for good or a costly nuisance? April 30, 2015 When US investor Nelson Peltz walks into a boardroom carrying a piece of paper you know there’s going to be trouble. Peltz, best known in the UK for bouncing Cadbury’s into a series of spin-outs and mergers, has a tried and tested tactic for effecting change: meet a chief executive, present him with a [...]
UK economy doing better than GDP figures suggest April 30, 2015 New data suggest that the UK’s economic growth has been understated by official figures, and is also likely to strengthen in the coming months. A survey of small and medium-sized manufacturers revealed that many saw increases in total domestic orders, output and employment in the three months to April. Firms are also expecting [...]
Eurozone inflation and jobs improve but recovery remains fragile, experts warn April 30, 2015 Inflation and unemployment in the Eurozone are gradually improving, but economists warn the currency bloc’s recovery is fragile. Prices failed to fall – or rise – registering zero change in April compared with the same month last year, figures released yesterday by Eurostat reveal. Inflation is now closer to the European Central Bank’s [...]
Foxtons warns of sales slowdown as home buyers await General Election outcome April 30, 2015 London estate agency Foxtons warned that the General Election had put the brake on sales as prospective homebuyers await the outcome of next week’s polls before making plans. The company, famous for its fleet of Green Mini Coopers, reported revenues of £33.1m in the three months to 31 March, down 3.1 per cent on [...]
London house prices up 11pc in March as repossessions plunge April 30, 2015 London house prices jumped 11.3 per cent year-on-year in March, figures released yesterday by the Land Registry show. It compares with 5.3 per cent property price gains for the whole of England and Wales. Read more: The one region where house prices are falling “Much has been done to ensure that people have [...]
Saga investors rewarded with 4.1p dividend as insurer posts 9.6pc jump in pre-tax profit April 30, 2015 Specialist insurer Saga posted a 9.6 per cent jump in pre-tax profit for the year ended 31 January 2015, up to £195.5m from £178.3m the year before. The company, which targets the over-50 market, failed to live up to expectations when it listed on the London Stock Exchange in May last year. It floated [...]
LinkedIn share price plummets as second quarter outlook fails to impress April 30, 2015 LinkedIn once again beat expectations, but a bleak outlook for the second quarter didn't go down well with investors. The figures During the first three months of 2015, the social networking site's revenue went up to $638m (£415m), 35 per cent higher than last year's first quarter figure. This was ahead of the $636.5m [...]
Yorkshire currency trader arrested in global Ponzi probe April 30, 2015 A Yorkshire-based trader has been arrested as part of an investigation into a global Ponzi scheme that cost investors tens of millions of pounds. City of London Police said yesterday that a 59 year-old was arrested in East Yorkshire by detectives on suspicion of fraud by false representation and money laundering. So far they've received complaints from [...]
UK house prices: Land Registry data shows the one region where they’re falling annually April 30, 2015 UK house prices fell again in March, and the decline was particularly marked in the North East, where house prices are now falling annually. Official Land Registry data, which runs slightly behind because it uses price paid as opposed to asking price, showed average house prices in the North East fell 0.4 per cent between February [...]