AstraZeneca facing a shareholder revolt over performance targets March 13, 2016 Shareholders of drug giant AstraZeneca are gearing up for a revolt at the firm’s annual meeting next month after chief executive Pascal Soriot was handed £8.4m in pay last year. AstraZeneca will come under fire for not writing a key revenue target into Soriot’s bonus package. The pharmaceuticals group has revealed that Soriot’s pay more [...]
Government warns Sports Direct boss he risks contempt of parliament by not agreeing a date to give evidence over treatment of workers March 9, 2016 Billionaire founder of Sports Direct, Mike Ashley faces being found in contempt of parliament after he failed to set a date to appear in front of MPs to answer questions on the retailer’s treatment of workers. He has been given a deadline of 21 March to reply to the letter told he must set a date before 1 June. A [...]
BMW racks up another record year, pushed on by favourable currency headwinds as share price falls due to outlook for “slight” sales increase in 2016 March 9, 2016 German carmaker BMW's share price dropped this afternoon, despite posting a record breaking sixth year in a row. Shares dipped by two per cent immediately after the figures were released. Revenue, sales, and pre-tax profit all set fresh records at the luxury car firm, though investors baulked at the suggestion 2016 would see numbers only "slightly up" [...]
The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund had its worst year since 2011 last year, but managed to avoid negative returns March 9, 2016 The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund has returned 2.7 per cent on its investments in 2015 thanks to a rally in equities late in the year. The low oil price and slowing emerging markets dragged on returns however, meaning the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund recorded its weakest performance since 2011. The oil fund, managed by [...]
Woodford backed telecoms vehicle poaches Goldman banker as it posts maiden dividend March 9, 2016 Telecoms takeover vehicle Zegona, set up last year by two former Virgin Media executives and backed by investor Neil Woodford, has poached Goldman Sachs banker Menno Kremer to grow its business across Europe. The ex-Virgin pair, former chief financial officer Eamonn O’Hare and ex-chief operating officer Robert Samuelson, tempted Kremer away from the bank with promises [...]
Thomas Cook has extended its suspension of trips to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh until the end of October, due to no change to travel advice March 8, 2016 Travel operator Thomas Cook has opted to extend its suspension of holidays to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh until Monday 31 October 2016, due to no change to travel advice from the Foreign Office. A ban had previously been in place up to 25 May after a Russian commercial jet was downed in October. The Foreign [...]
Close Brothers’ share price drops six per cent, despite hiking its dividend after reporting a 10 per cent fall in assets under management March 8, 2016 Mixed results at Close Brothers Group have failed to impress investors, who have sent the share price six per cent lower this morning. Assets under management dropped by 10 per cent in the six months to January, from £10bn to £9.1 bn as volatile market conditions begin to bite and not helped by a disposal in November. The company [...]
Oil gushes past $40 per barrel March 7, 2016 The price of oil has surged over $40 per barrel for the first time this year, as shifting sentiment raises hopes that a 20-month price rout is finally coming to an end. Crude has climbed by almost 50 per cent from lows of $27 a barrel after sliding US production and discussions between Saudi Arabia [...]
Private jet mobile revolution drives sales: Meet Clive Jackson, the man behind Victor, the Uber of the skies March 7, 2016 Mobile apps have become the latest driver of growth for private jet hire, opening up a whole new market of corporate and private customers. Just as Uber has changed the way taxis operate, mobile app booking is absorbing market share from private jet brokers who have traditionally matched customers to companies. Founded in London in 2011, [...]
Iron ore makes massive 19 per cent price jump – leads mining share prices Ferrexpo and Lonmin higher March 7, 2016 Iron ore has lead a fresh rally in commodity prices that has recorded gains over the past two weeks as traders bet that prices have finally bottomed out. The price of iron ore climbed by 19 per cent to $63.74 a dry metric ton according to industry data gatherer Metal Bulletin. The leap in the [...]
