Profit warnings from UK’s quoted firms up 30 per cent at end of 2013 January 26, 2014 THE NUMBER of UK-quoted companies issuing profit warnings soared by 30 per cent in the last quarter of 2013, as fears of a slowdown in global growth dented earnings, according to EY research released yesterday. UK profit warnings fell to a three-year low earlier in the year but 73 warnings were issued in the final [...]
Q and A: How easy is it to get your cash out? January 26, 2014 Q Do all banks ask customers why they are making larger than usual withdrawals? A “Generally speaking, yes,” said a spokesman for the British Bankers Association. “The thinking is that customers want access to their money at any time, but banks also have a duty of care to stop fraud. Cash is a very insecure [...]
Android strong in key markets over Christmas January 26, 2014 GOOGLE finished 2013 on top with sales of phones running its Android operating system dwarfing those of rivals iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry over the Christmas period. Data from researchers Kantar Worldpanel found that Android had a 68.6 per cent share of sales in the five largest European markets for the 12 week period to [...]
Lloyds pushes to pay a dividend after boosting lending in 2013 January 26, 2014 LLOYDS is in late stage talks with regulators to allow it to resume paying a dividend, City A.M. understands. A decision is expected to be made by 13 February when the bank reports its full-year results. Lloyds returned to profit in the first half of the year and expects to report stronger figures in the [...]
Obituary Karl Slym, Tata Motors January 26, 2014 THE MANAGING director of Indian automobile company Tata Motors died yesterday in Bangkok. British businessman Karl Slym, who was hired by the company in 2012 to boost dwindling sales and increase its market share, was in the Thai capital to attend a board meeting of Tata Motors Thailand. He died after falling from a hotel [...]
Hedgies demand cashback from UK supermarkets January 26, 2014 BRITAIN’S biggest supermarkets are coming under pressure from a US hedge fund to split their vast property empire to drive up value for shareholders. Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s are all being asked to replicate a model used by one of Canada’s largest supermarkets, Loblaw Companies, to put some of its property into a real estate [...]
Game’s market share boosted by Playstation 4 and Xbox One January 26, 2014 THE LAUNCH of Sony’s latest console, the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and Microsoft’s Xbox One at the end of last year has helped boost retailer Game’s share of the entertainment market, new research shows. Figures from Kantar Worldpanel released today show that Game claimed eight per cent of the market in the 12 weeks to 22 [...]
Pru joins Legal and General in building spree January 26, 2014 THE PRUDENTIAL is financing the construction of 1,000 new homes to be built by housing associations, the insurer said over the weekend. The scheme follows Legal and General’s announcement last week that it is willing to spend £5bn over the next decade building five new towns across the country. And the plan comes as the [...]
Hedge fund takes stake as UBM continues chief executive search January 26, 2014 HENGISTBURY Investment Partners, the hedge fund set up in 2011 by The Children’s Investment Fund former senior partner Stuart Powers, has reportedly taken a 5.2 per cent stake in UBM. The hedge fund is now the second largest investor in the events and publishing company, according to a report in The Sunday Times. UBM is [...]
Randgold boss warns on mine output in 2014 January 26, 2014 PRODUCTION from the Tongon gold mine in Cote d’Ivoire will miss management’s expectations in 2014, the chief executive of FTSE 100-quoted miner Randgold Resources has admitted. The Tongon mine is expected to produce 260,000 ounces this year, which is an increase on 2013’s gold output but slightly behind the internal target, Mark Bristow told a [...]
