US corporate news continues to rule July 19, 2009 BEN Bernanke, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, will make his semi-annual report on monetary policy tomorrow at 2pm London time. It’s expected to take a fairly upbeat overall tone on the state of the economy, but the markets will be focussing on the implications of his thoughts on inflation, and the merest hint of [...]
First drop in revenue for Microsoft July 23, 2009 SOFTWARE giant Microsoft yesterday posted its first drop in revenue since it went public in 1986, after it was hit by the global downturn and falling sales of its key products. The world’s biggest software firm said revenue for the three months to the end of March was $13.65bn (£8.3bn), a drop of six per [...]
First drop in revenue for Microsoft July 23, 2009 SOFTWARE giant Microsoft yesterday posted its first drop in revenue since it went public in 1986, after it was hit by the global downturn and falling sales of its key products. The world’s biggest software firm said revenue for the three months to the end of March was $13.65bn (£8.3bn), a drop of six per [...]
Online auctioneer eBay slows its decline as PayPal pays off July 22, 2009 AUCTION website eBay reported a 29 per cent fall in second-quarter profit yesterday, but saw its shares rise as it beat analysts’ expectations. Net profit was $327.3m (£199m), or $0.25 a share, down from $460m, $0.35 a share, in the equivalent quarter of 2008, while revenues fell marginally, down to $2.1bn from $2.2bn. Excluding one-off [...]
LoveFilm set to cash in on sale June 14, 2009 LOVEFILM, the online DVD rental company which has had storming growth thanks to titles such as Slumdog Millionaire, is understood to be considering a stock exchange listing which could provide a £14m windfall for the company’s management. Chief executive Simon Calver has hired investment bank Jefferies to assess strategic options, with a possible sale of [...]
LoveFilm set to cash in on sale June 14, 2009 LOVEFILM, the online DVD rental company which has had storming growth thanks to titles such as Slumdog Millionaire, is understood to be considering a stock exchange listing which could provide a £14m windfall for the company’s management. Chief executive Simon Calver has hired investment bank Jefferies to assess strategic options, with a possible sale of [...]
US EARNINGS WILL GIVE THE MARKET FRESH DIRECTION July 20, 2009 MARTIN SLANEYHEAD OF DERIVATIVES, GFT THE fate of the markets over the coming weeks hangs on the second-quarter results being announced daily by US companies. The market’s take so far has been positive – approximately 80 per cent of earnings have beaten or were on a par with consensus, and last Wednesday Intel was proof [...]
INVISIBLE LEH-MAN TO HIT BACK AT CRITICS August 31, 2009 NIGH on a year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and the tales are really starting to come out of the woodwork. I hear that “The Gorilla” wasn’t the only nickname the bank’s former boss Dick Fuld earned for himself during his tenure at the top – employees on the trading floor also called him [...]
INVISIBLE LEH-MAN TO HIT BACK AT CRITICS August 31, 2009 NIGH on a year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and the tales are really starting to come out of the woodwork. I hear that “The Gorilla” wasn’t the only nickname the bank’s former boss Dick Fuld earned for himself during his tenure at the top – employees on the trading floor also called him [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 21, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESCORUS CHIEF SCRAMBLES TO RESCUE FACTORY DEALCorus chief Kirby Adamsm who took over at the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker last month, faces both the worst fall in steel demand for 60 years and a battle to salvage an agreement to sell the group’s Teesside plant to Marcegaglia. It has emerged that Marcegaglia is having second thoughts [...]