Hipster bonanza: Etsy’s shares have gone berserk after its IPO April 16, 2015 It turns out hipster craft site Etsy is as popular with New York's clued-up investors as moustache wax and skinny jeans. Shares in the site, which launched its IPO today, have more than doubled, to $33. That's a stonking start for the company, which has been much-mocked with sites such as the now-closed Regretsy. Having [...]
In charts: UK car registrations on the rise as PIIGS fight back April 16, 2015 A sign of recovery? The EU is celebrating its nineteenth straight month of improving car sales, as the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain) pull their weight. Elsewhere the UK continued to buy more cars than Germany despite its smaller population, although the rate of growth was slower at six per cent to Germany’s [...]
Goldman Sachs just a posted stellar set of first quarter results April 16, 2015 Investment bank Goldman Sachs kicked off earnings season Stateside with a strong set of first quarter results, thanks to a flurry of trading by its fixed-income and currencies desks. The bank beat expectations with earnings of $2.75bn (£1.84bn), or $5.94 per share, in the three months to March. Analysts polled by Reuters had been expecting $4.26 [...]
UK house prices: Rental growth is now outpacing house price increases April 16, 2015 The price of renting a home in the UK has risen 10 per cent in the last 12 months – faster than the rate of growth for buyers. New data from HomeLet shows that the average rental cost rose in the 12 months to March in 11 of the 12 UK regions, with only Wales [...]
Morrisons share price falls as new boss David Potts cuts jobs at head office to hire 5,000 shop floor staff April 16, 2015 Morrisons is cutting hundreds of roles in its head office while simultaneously going on a hiring spree for its shop floor. The troubled supermarket, which last month revealed full year losses of £176m and brought in a new chief executive after Dalton Phillips left under a cloud, is expecting to make 720 head office roles [...]
Grexit strategy: How much money does Greece owe, which countries does it owe and when does it have to pay its debts? April 16, 2015 As Greece teeters on the brink of default (again), it looks like its lenders are losing patience. Yields on Greek bonds soared this morning after it was reported that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had gently asked the country not to request a delay on its debt repayments. But how much does Greece actually owe, who [...]
Greek bond yields soar on IMF rumours April 16, 2015 Yields on Greek 10-year bonds soared to 12.8 per cent in late morning, after reports suggested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has rejected informal requests to delay loan repayments. Yields on its three-year notes rose to 26.43 per cent, after the FT reported this morning that the IMF had “persuaded” the Greek government not to make [...]
Three charts showing the best countries in Europe in which to buy a second home April 16, 2015 The Eurozone crisis was an economic nightmare for many, not least the property sector, with prices falling across the continent. And while there are signs of growth across the bloc, prices in many countries are still low, according to Eurostat, the statistical body of the EU. The Eurozone and European Union (EU) has returned to [...]
Weak euro helps Unilever deliver better-than-expected sales growth April 16, 2015 The figures The slowdown in emerging markets hasn't stopped Unilever from recording a 12.3 per cent increase in turnover to €12.8bn (£9.22bn) in the first quarter of 2015. Even when your economy isn't growing as rapidly as it once did – looking good still remains a priority. Shares rose by over three per cent in [...]
Debenhams share price rises on surprise profit rise ahead of forecasts April 16, 2015 The figures Pre-tax profits at Debenhams were up 4.3 per cent to £88.9m during its first half, ahead of analysts expectation of profits remaining flat on last year's £85.2m. Group statutory revenue was up 1.6 per cent to £1.3bn. Group like-for-like sales were up 1.3 per cent for the 26 weeks to 28 February. The retailer also [...]