BP: Discipline and efficiency underpin ‘buy’ case May 13, 2019 | City Talk Profits are down in the first quarter, but BP remains on track, writes our head of markets. BP (LSE:BP.) may not have repeated its immense performance from the full-year numbers in February, but nonetheless remains on track to deliver on its strategic promises. The company's prodigious cash flow continues to enable its share buyback programme, [...]
Uber braced for second day of trading after IPO takes a wrong turn May 13, 2019 Uber is braced for its second day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange today after its shares veered off course in a disappointing initial public offering (IPO) on Friday. Shares in the lift-hailing giant closed down 7.6 per cent after its $82.4bn (£63.2bn) float failed to impress investors last week. Read more: Four [...]
Sexy suggestions and innuendo in ads: Does “sex sells” really help in marketing? May 13, 2019 We all know the old adage “sex sells” – the received wisdom that using sexual imagery and titillation can boost a brand and sell its products. But times have changed. Today, overt sexualisation in ads is rightly seen as a crude tactic, and marketers have changed their approach. Lynx body spray commercials no longer feature [...]
Why did Lush, Apple and Wetherspoons quit Twitter? May 13, 2019 Tapping into a dissatisfaction with social media, cosmetics firm Lush recently announced that it would move away from it, justifying its decision by drawing attention to the financial and ethical cost of using social media. The move marks Lush as the latest brand to take a new approach online. It’s a global brand, whose environmentally-conscious [...]
Hello sunshine: London temperatures set to soar this week May 13, 2019 Londoners are set to bask in sunshine this week as temperatures rise to a balmy 18°C. After a wet start to the month, the clouds have cleared and temperatures are expected to remain in the high teens throughout the week. Tuesday will bring the week’s warmest weather, with temperatures rising to a high of 18°C, [...]
Swedish prosecutors reopen rape case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange May 13, 2019 Swedish prosecutors this morning reopened the case of alleged rape against Wikileaks-founder Julian Assange. Assange went into hiding in Ecuador's London embassy in 2012 after a British judge ordered his extradition to Sweden. Read more: Swedish prosecutors reopen rape case against Wikileaks' Julian Assange The alleged rape is said to have happened in August 2010 when [...]
Embattled Goals Soccer Centres loses second CEO in two years May 13, 2019 Five-a-side football operator Goals Soccer Centres has confirmed that chief executive Andy Anson is stepping down after just a year in the job. Read more: Accounting errors cause Goals Soccer Centres to suspend trading Anson will take the role of chief executive at the British Olympic Association (BOA), where he has been a board member [...]
British Gas owner Centrica ‘may slash dividend’ after challenging start to the year May 13, 2019 Analysts warned that a dividend cut is on the horizon at British Gas owner Centrica after several external factors hit performance in the opening months of 2019. Centrica said that the government’s new energy price cap had dented its figures, including a one-off £70m impact in the first quarter. Read more: British Gas owner Centrica [...]
Norway all but hands victory to Euronext in battle with Nasdaq over Oslo Bors May 13, 2019 Euronext has won clearance from the Norwegian government to buy stock exchange Oslo Bors, handing it almost certain victory over rival bidders Nasdaq. The pan-European exchange said it now expected to complete the transaction by the end of next month. Read more: Euronext gives Oslo Bors shareholders more time to back its offer The US giant, [...]
Swedbank proposes new board in bid to steady ship after money-laundering scandal May 13, 2019 Investors in under-fire Swedbank will vote on the future of the company within the next six weeks, as the company today formally proposed a new board headed by former Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson. The bank’s five largest shareholders have called for an extraordinary general meeting to be held before the midsummer holiday on 21 [...]