PENSIONS CRISIS AS DEFICITS SOAR August 4, 2009 FTSE 100 companies are running a combined pension deficit of £96bn, the largest ever recorded, a leading firm of consulting actuaries will reveal today. The collapse in stock markets means that the shortfall is more than twice the £41bn recorded a year ago, Lane Clark & Peacock’s (LCP) will say. The financial crisis has also [...]
Waitrose flexes its muscle in John Lewis online tie-up deal August 2, 2009 WAITROSE, the upmarket grocer, yesterday announced it plans to sell kitchen and homeware products online in a commercial tie-up with John Lewis, in the hope it can pinch market share from rival retailers. Under the deal Waitrose will sell thousands of its own and John Lewis’s products online from 4 August, placing more pressure on [...]
NOMURA WALL CANDY IMPRESSES ART-LOVING FORMER LEHMANITES July 29, 2009 AND SO it emerges that Lehman Brothers is preparing to sell 650 of its prized modern and contemporary artworks at auction in the States this winter, hoping to raise a total of $1m for its creditors. (Not that the piddling amount will contribute much to levelling its $250bn debt pile, but every little helps, as [...]
New evidence in dairy probe July 23, 2009 The Office of Fair Trading said yesterday that it had provided more evidence to supermarkets and dairy companies as part of a probe into price-fixing of dairy products seven years ago. The watchdog said only Tesco and Wm Morrison were continuing to contest the provisional findings, issued in September 2007.
COMEBACK KID July 21, 2009 SHARES in WM Morrison made spectacular gains yesterday after the supermarket said it would beat profit forecasts. The announcement, which coincided with research showing that it is grabbing market share from rivals, confirmed Morrisons’ new status as the City’s favourite retail stock. Morrisons grew by 9.5 per cent in the 12 weeks to 12 July [...]
FTSE enjoys best run in four years July 21, 2009 THE FTSE 100 has had its best run in four years after companies around the world delivered better-than-expected results. The index of top-rated companies ended a seventh day of rises one per cent higher at 4481.17. It is the best winning streak since July 2005, with daily increases bringing the FTSE 100 up 8.7 per [...]
Supermarket sweep pushes FTSE to seventh rise in a row July 21, 2009 BRITAIN’S top share index rose for a seventh-straight day yesterday, boosted by supermarkets after a trading update from Wm Morrison, and after strong US quarterly results, with miners also lending support. The FTSE 100 closed 37.55 points higher, or 0.9 per cent, at 4,481.17, following a gain of 1.3 per cent on Monday. The index [...]
Tories ahead, but more work still needed July 20, 2009 IN the main, yesterday’s Tory White Paper was a success. George Osborne is right to want to abolish the FSA and make the Bank of England responsible for financial stability. I’m delighted the Tories won’t be proposing a separation of investment and retail banks any time soon, and that any break-up of Lloyds or RBS [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 19, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphENGINE IN DRIVE FOR EXPANSIONThe advertising agency that created the 118 directory enquiries runners is seeking £50m to fund an international expansion drive that will take it to the US and the Far East. The Engine Group has appointed advisers at Jefferies and the corporate finance arm of Ingenious Media to secure [...]
Wagner’s Tesco tie-up deal July 19, 2009 Dan Wagner, the internet entrepreneur, is mulling over a return to the stock market after his online business venture, Venda, signed a tie-up with Tesco online. Wagner has signed a new contract to power Tesco’s fashion website when it goes live this autumn. It is believed that Goldman Sachs has been appointed to advise on [...]