UK’s biggest companies pull away as profits for rest of pack plunge May 8, 2019 Average profits at the UK’s 40 biggest companies rose by 11 per cent in the first quarter of the year while those outside the group saw a fall of 18 per cent, new analysis has shown, laying bare a stark division in the fortunes of British companies. Read more: 'Zombie firms' dragging down UK economy, [...]
Lloyds Banking Group: Q1 results analysis May 7, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. After a stunning share price performance, do these 'hit and miss' results justify optimism? Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) investors, in need of a silver lining after an underwhelming earnings season from UK lenders, only have to look back 24 hours earlier to the surprise gift handed to the bank [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland undone by Brexit May 6, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. These were a 'noisy' set of Q1 results from RBS, but probably look 'worse than the reality'. Back in the dividend-paying ranks and with shares up by as much as 25 per cent in 2019, The Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE:RBS) provided investors with a reality check as the state-backed lender [...]
Morrisons in City spotlight for first-quarter results May 6, 2019 Investors will be hoping Morrisons can replicate recently-improved trading results from its supermarket rivals later this week when it looks set to extend a long spell of like-for-like sales growth. Read more: Morrisons granted permission for Supreme Court appeal over data ruling Following a largely better-than-expected financial performance from both Sainsbury’s and Tesco in recent [...]
Corbyn’s past just keeps tripping him up May 2, 2019 The charge sheet is grim. He defended a mural depicting hook-nosed Jewish bankers playing monopoly on the backs of the poor. He claimed Israel exerts “unbelievably high levels of influence” over “the upper echelons of parts of the media”. He presides over a party struggling to deal with complaints of antisemitism among its members and [...]
Online advertising continues to grow as UK ad spend hits £24bn April 30, 2019 Online formats are continuing to take the lion’s share of advertising pounds as UK ad spend hit almost £24bn last year, new figures have revealed. Read more: WPP suffers sales drop after ‘significant’ client losses Search and online display advertising pulled in almost £12bn in 2018, more than half of the total spend across all [...]
Barclays shares: Optimists see an opportunity April 29, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. These results do not impress, but there’s lots going on at Barclays and plenty to interest investors. Without the attention generated by activist investor Edward Bramson, it’s likely that last week’s lacklustre investment banking performance at Barclays (LSE:BARC) may have been passed off as just another quarter blighted by [...]
City forum intervenes in Barclays’ battle with Bramson April 28, 2019 A forum for City investors has intervened in Barclays’ battle with activist investor Edward Bramson, ahead of the bank’s general meeting this week. Investor Forum has written to Barclays in recent weeks at the prompting of major institutional investors to raise a number of concerns, Sky News reported. The news comes before Barclays’ general meeting [...]
Bramson may lose the battle but still win the war in his clash with Barclays’ board April 26, 2019 Arguments about the merits of Barclays’ voyage into investment banking feel almost as old as the industry itself. Next week’s showdown between the lender’s board and Edward Bramson, who wants to muscle his way onto it, might prove to be a mere footnote in that story – or, ultimately, warrant a full chapter. Bramson will [...]
Barclays profits fall as investment banking unit struggles ahead of Bramson showdown April 25, 2019 Barclays profits fell 10 per cent over the first three months of 2019 as its under-fire investment bank endured a “weak quarter” ahead of next week’s showdown with activist investor Ed Bramson. But chief executive Jes Staley said the investment bank outperformed all but one of its US rivals and gained market share for the [...]