Tui upbeat after strong demand for unique holidays and rise in online bookings March 25, 2015 The numbers Tui group has issued an optimistic trading statement. Average selling prices in the majority of source markets is toward the higher end and are up one per cent. Online bookings have climbed 12 per cent over the past six months and summer bookings are up one per cent. Why it's interesting In January, following [...]
Bellway profits soar on back of strong housing demand March 25, 2015 The numbers Homebuilder Bellway has reported a jump in profit before tax of 53 per cent to £159m for the half year ended 31 January. Revenue climbed 18.7 per cent to £831.2m. In good news for shareholders, dividends per share soared 56 per cent to 25p. Completions for the period rose 15.7 per cent from the [...]
The number of women on FTSE 100 boards has almost doubled in the last four years March 25, 2015 Gender diversity on the FTSE 100 has taken a big jump towards reaching government targets, and has almost doubled in four years. The annual report by Lord Davies of Abersoch shows that companies are making efforts to meet the government’s target of 25 per cent, with the total now at 23.5 per cent. That's an [...]
Women are on board in the FTSE 100, but job is not finished March 24, 2015 The number of women on FTSE 100 firms’ boards has almost doubled over the past four years, a government report released today will show. However, there is still scepticism over whether firms are boosting their numbers by bringing in female non-executive members, instead of promoting women into executive roles through their internal structures. The report, [...]
Mentoring critical to having more FTSE female board members, say women on boards March 24, 2015 As a government report points to a more than doubling of women on FTSE boards, three women give the lowdown on life in the boardroom, and how more women can get there. Anne Richards Anne Richards had “wandered through life not really worrying about the gender mix of a board”. However, the chief investment officer [...]
AA plans to raise £200m through share placing March 24, 2015 Roadside recovery business the AA is preparing to raise £200m through a share placing, as part of a refinancing plan aimed at reducing its debt of £2.7bn. The company will also refinance £735m of its senior debt facilities, in plans that could be announced today. Investors who have been approached about the placing are thought [...]
Eurozone economies pick up just as Asian giants start a slowdown March 24, 2015 Global economic growth showed signs of shifting in March, as influential surveys indicated that the troubled Eurozone is starting to recover, but manufacturing activity falling in China. Even the stagnant French economy racked up a second consecutive month of growth, according to the study from Markit. Its purchasing managers’ index (PMI) recorded a score of [...]
London house prices on the up after six months of flatlining March 24, 2015 London’s house prices are picking up again after stalling since August, official data showed yesterday. The average home in the capital cost £510,000 in January – up 1.6 per cent from £502,000 in December, and back up towards the £514,000 peak seen in August 2014. Nationally, prices rose £1,000 to an average of £273,000. Over [...]
Direct Line CEO gets £2m raise March 24, 2015 Insurance boss Paul Geddes has been granted a pay rise of more than £2m – up from £2.54m in 2013 to £4.62m last year. The Direct Line Group (DLG) chief executive’s pay was revealed in the company’s final results yesterday, which showed pre-tax profits jumped by 12.2 per cent from £407.3m to £456.8m in 2014. [...]
Dark pools set for probe from City watchdog March 24, 2015 Private trading venues called dark pools face a probe from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the City watchdog wants to investigate potential conflicts of interest. The FCA’s business plan for the year ahead yesterday set out a range of probes across financial services. “We have been considering the risks around dark pools and will [...]