Week ahead: Data set to steer the FTSE after four day rising streak May 30, 2016 Markets are set to be moved by data this week after the FTSE 100 posted its biggest weekly gain since mid-April last week. The blue-chip index closed at 6,270.79 on Friday, a fourth straight day of gains and up two per cent on the week. The FTSE’s winning run is largely due to an oil [...]
Number of buy-to-let investors breaks through 1.75m barrier, though fears of a slowdown in the second half of the year persist May 30, 2016 The number of buy-to-let investors in the UK has broken through the 1.75m barrier for the first time, up by seven per cent over the last year. Not only are numbers of investors up but they're making more money as well. The net income – rental income minus all costs – of these investors increased by eight [...]
Neil Woodford is expected to pick up a stake in Time Out when it unveils its plans to list tomorrow May 30, 2016 Star fund manager Neil Woodford is expected to be among investors in line to pick up a stake in media group Time Out when it unveils plans for its London listing tomorrow. Time Out's long expected float on the London junior Aim market is set to value the company at between £185m and £225m. The company, which has [...]
Tech and engineering firms are flocking to a new tech hub in Silverstone May 27, 2016 Look out Silicon Roundabout, there's another tech hub out for the crown. Silverstone, the home of British motor racing, has been flooded recently with a raft of high-tech engineering businesses – and is now being branded as the Silverstone Technology Cluster. Property investment and development business MEPC – which is behind the development of Silverstone Park – has identified over [...]
Sears is exploring options for two businesses, sending its share price higher as revenue continues to fall May 26, 2016 The one-time largest US retailer Sears has posted a loss of $471m (£320m) or $4.41 a share for its latest quarter. The loss has widened from the $303m it reported a year earlier and has led the company to explore potential partnerships or other deals for some of its biggest brands. Sears is considering opening up the Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands, [...]
Abercrombie & Fitch misses expectations as sales sag, sparking share sell off – though the Hollister brand remains flat May 26, 2016 News of its 13th quarter-on-quarter sales decline has sparked a sell off of Abercrombie & Fitch stock. The fashion retailer's shares are down by 13 per cent in the pre-market, after the chain missed expectations and warned the current quarter isn't looking any better. Shares that were up by over 20 per cent over the past 12 months on hopes declining [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open May 26, 2016 The price of US crude oil has smashed through $50 per barrel after Brent crossed that mark last night. Meanwhile the world's leaders have assembled in Japan for the G7 meeting. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 14:30 London time. The futures market is pointing up. The S&P is up by 0.1 [...]
Coca-Cola chief executive tops international black, Asian, and minority ethnic executive power list May 26, 2016 The boss of The Coca-Cola Company, Muhtar Kent, has topped a list of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) bosses from around the US, UK and Ireland. The ranking, put together by executive search firm Audeliss, placed Manjit Wolstenholme, chair of Provident Financial second and Albert Cheng, chief operations officer at Amazon Studios in third. Its release follows a similar one from the House of Lords [...]
More than eight-in-ten local authorities will be in serious financial difficulty in the next three years, chief execs warn May 26, 2016 Local authorities are at risk of failing to deliver essential services in coming years, the government is being warned. PwC’s annual survey of local government leadership has shown that 81 per cent of local authority bosses believe that some will not deliver essential services within the next three years. Almost nine-in-ten – 86 per cent – of council [...]