Can hybrid platforms give brokers the edge? May 6, 2010 ELECTRONIC trading technology has come a long way in a short space of time. It is now crucial to the broking business and, according to research from Execution Noble, offers operating margins of 40 per cent compared with 20 per cent for traditional voice broking. Based on those figures – not to mention the fact [...]
Service sector hit by ash and election May 6, 2010 ACTIVITY in Britain’s services sector in April failed to match the storming performance seen by manufacturers, a leading survey showed yesterday. Although output continued to expand, the Markit/CIPS services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed a slowdown in the pace of growth. The PMI index fell to 55.3 from 56.5 against expectations for a further rise. [...]
Bovis says house prices are on the up but warns of an uncertain year to come May 6, 2010 BOVIS Homes said yesterday it had sold houses at prices slightly ahead of its expectations so far this year. However, it warned the general election had created uncertainty in the housing market and that a recovery was too early to call. Chief executive David Ritchie said: “We expect trading to continue to be stable, although [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS May 6, 2010 SAGE Nomura reiterates its “buy” rating on Sage after the group reported half year figures, showing top line dynamics across all geographies improving. Nomura has increased its earnings per share by roughly five per cent, which, it says reflects the slightly better revenue dynamics seen in the first half, currency effect and savings. ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV [...]
Number of pay freezes falls May 6, 2010 The number of pay freezes dropped during the first three months of the year, but still made up one third of pay settlements, according to research by Incomes Data Services (IDS). Research found that 31 per cent of pay settlements during the period saw no changes made. The number of pay rises climbed incrementally to [...]
Morgan Sindall sees good start May 6, 2010 Construction firm Morgan Sindall said its forward order book has increased since the start of the year from £3.2bn to £3.6bn, signalling a positive start to the year. Morgan Sindall said it was trading in line with it’s expectations and that the group’s urban regeneration division’s development pipeline remained at £1.4bn.
Nokia board supports strategy May 6, 2010 The chairman of Nokia said its management had the board’s full support as it moves the world’s top mobile phone maker away from hardware and toward offering services. Nokia has started to build a new business by offering Internet services ranging from music downloads to e-mail, but these have gained little traction so far. Management [...]
ADVERTISING Q&A May 6, 2010 Q. I have recently started a business and am wondering whether I should be planning for an advertising campaign? A. Lots of entrepreneurs won’t be able to afford to spend on an advertising campaign when they first start out, it’s usually something that comes down the line. However, Carl Harris, business director at Cuba UK, [...]
Commerzbank profits bounce back May 6, 2010 COMMERZBANK posted better than expected first-quarter results thanks to strong trading and lower risk provisions but still lagged the stellar earnings of investment banking peers. Germany’s second-biggest lender has only a small-scale investment banking business, leaving it unable to benefit from some of the stimulus measures that pushed Deutsche Bank Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley [...]
Diageo sees rebound in drinks market May 6, 2010 DIAGEO beat forecasts with a big sales rebound in the first three months of the year as the recovery kicked in led by strong emerging market growth. The London-based maker of Smirnoff vodka and Captain Morgan rum said it had seen signs of fragile recovery in its mature markets such as North America and a [...]