ANALYST VIEWS DOES YOUGOV’S STRONG PERFORMANCE AFFECT YOUR OUTLOOK? April 2, 2012 PATRICK YAU PEELHUNT YouGov is trading in line with expectations for the year, so we anticipate no forecast upgrade. We still see the stock as a potential take-out target, but in the meantime should see an improvement in its operating performance as the company takes market share in the important US market. LORNA TILBIAN NUMIS [...]
Jefferies Hoare Govett wins Sirius Minerals April 2, 2012 HOARE Govett, the former RBS broker sold to US investment bank Jefferies, has won a new mandate with Sirius Minerals, the firm looking for potash in Yorkshire. The renamed Jefferies Hoare Govett has been picked as joint broker alongside Macquarie and Liberum. Chris Fraser, managing director and chief executive of Sirius, said: “With its US [...]
Factory output slumps as euro slowdown hits April 2, 2012 MANUFACTURING business conditions slumped in all four major Eurozone economies in March, survey data showed yesterday, heightening fears of recession across the currency union. The sector has deteriorated in every month since July 2011, with a fall in new orders hitting March’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) from Markit. The index fell to 47.7, down from [...]
Joblessness up to Eurozone-era high as economies keep sliding April 2, 2012 UNEMPLOYMENT rose to a record high in February, official data revealed yesterday, as the Eurozone economies continued to slow. Joblessness rose to a euro-era high of 10.8 per cent, up from 10.7 per cent in January and 10 per cent in February 2011. The tenth consecutive monthly rise represents the loss of around 202,000 jobs. [...]
CITY VIEWS IS THE ECONOMY LOOKING BETTER THAN AT THE START OF 2012? April 2, 2012 JASON AIRDS AIRWALK CONSULTING In the IT business we can see things picking up, with a pipeline of work coming through which is better than it has been in last couple of years. We’re still concerned about things like fuel prices though. MILES WASHBROOK WILLIS We’ve been very busy, and our customers have been very [...]
Turkish growth starting to slow April 2, 2012 Turkey’s GDP expanded by an impressive 8.5 per cent last year, data released yesterday showed, yet there are signs of the economy finally grinding to a halt. GDP was up by just 0.6 per cent in the final three months of 2011, compared to the third quarter. “Monthly data suggest that the economy slowed further [...]
French consumers cut back on cars April 2, 2012 New car registrations collapsed in France last month, in a worrying sign for the core Eurozone economy. The 23.5 per cent year-on-year drop was partly blamed on a government incentive scheme that expired at the end of March 2011. “Still the outcome is poor,” commented BNP Paribas, “[with] the base effect explaining only about half [...]
Housing equity injection booms April 2, 2012 Develeraging continued apace in the final three months of 2011 as homeowners injected equity into properties for the 15th consecutive quarter. The net increase came in at £8.5bn, taking the total since mid-2008 to £113.4bn. Though it may reflect consumers’ desire to pay down debts, it may also indicate reduced market activity. And “the fact [...]
Canadian fund targets Goals transfer deal April 2, 2012 SHARES in Goals Soccer Centres leapt 24 per cent yesterday after an approach by a Canadian pension fund triggered hopes of a bidding war for the five-a-side chain. The stock pared its gains and closed up 16.28 per cent at 125p after the private equity arm of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan made a preliminary approach [...]
FALKLANDS FALLEN REMEMBERED April 2, 2012 Prime Minister David Cameron vowed that Britain “remains staunchly committed to upholding the right of the Falkland Islanders” on the 30th anniversary of the 74-day war to defend the islands from an Argentinean invasion. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez used the occasion to criticise the UK for “plundering” its natural resources.
