Market challenges take their toll on estate agent Countrywide’s profits February 13, 2019 Beleaguered estate agent Countrywide’s profits halved last year, as the property group battled to keep its debt pile under control in the wake of housing market uncertainty and disruption from online rivals. Subdued activity in parts of the UK’s housing market in the last year has dented profits for the group, which has also struggled [...]
New Look moves into the black February 13, 2019 Fast-fashion chain New Look moved into the black in its year-to-date results this morning, with cost savings and a third-quarter bump in sales providing a much-needed boon for the embattled retailer as it looks to tackle a £1bn pile. The figures Revenue hit £1.02bn in the 39 weeks to 22 December, slipping five per cent from [...]
‘No winners’ from spat with Tanzanian government says Acacia boss February 11, 2019 There will be “no winner” in the dispute between Acacia Mining and Tanzania’s leaders, chief executive Peter Geleta said today as the company returned to profitability. Acacia’s shares closed down around 1.1 per cent despite profit before tax reaching $97m (£75m) last year after the company lost $710m in 2017, hit by a $850m impairment [...]
Telford Homes to develop £160m Stratford project February 11, 2019 London developer Telford Homes has ramped up its investment in East London this morning after announcing plans for a £160m housing site in Stratford. The housebuilder, which specialises in non-prime London property, has snapped up the 1.2 acre development for £20m as it looks to tap into recent regeneration following the arrival of Westfield shopping [...]
International Investing – the whys and wherefores February 11, 2019 | City Talk In 1926, engineer, inventor and philosopher Nicolas Tesla, said “”When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance… and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with [...]
Quit nostalgic navel-gazing and get excited for the future February 11, 2019 The thing about the 1970s – if you lived through them – is that they were for the most part dull and dour years, devoid of political and economic energy. And as for the fashion, don’t even go there. Yet there seems to be no shortage of fresh-faced tweets proclaiming those years to be something [...]
One in 10 high street shops lie empty as retailers face spring reckoning February 10, 2019 The extent of the crisis facing UK retailers was laid bare this morning after new figures revealed one in 10 high street shops lie empty, while a string of upcoming cost increases could deal a death blow to struggling stores in the spring. Rising taxes and a shift to online shopping have ravaged British high [...]
Big business needs to step up and take the reins of leadership from the politicians February 6, 2019 I wanna be the leader I wanna be the leader Can I be the leader? Can I? I can? Promise? Promise? Yippee I’m the leader I’m the leader OK what shall we do? Roger McGough did not know how prescient his poem was. The days of Churchill, Thatcher and Mandela are gone. Whether you agreed [...]
The yield curve explained: is it predicting recession? February 6, 2019 | City Talk The yield curve has been a reliable predictor of US recessions over the last four decades. Each time the yield curve has inverted, the US economy has entered a downturn within 18 months. At the start of 2019, the curve is precipitously close to inverting again. The yield curve is the difference between the interest [...]
Redrow hails record profit as founder bows out on a high February 6, 2019 Housebuilder Redrow hailed record half-year profits before tax this morning, striking a resilient tone despite fears of greater uncertainty over Britain's imminent departure from the EU and a “subdued” Christmas. The figures In Steve Morgan’s final trading statement as chairman, the FTSE 250 developer said that pre-tax profits rose five per cent to £185m in [...]