Bottom Line: Market perils revealed even as the long mobile boom goes on December 11, 2013 IS THE smartphone boom tailing off? Imagination Technologies’ acknowledgement of lower (but still strong) growth rates in the smartphone market might seem worrying. Mobiles and tablets have seen exponential growth since 2009. Surely that can’t go on forever? We’re not done yet. More than 200m tablets will be sold this year. Smartphones will treble between [...]
Harlow joins Debenhams board December 11, 2013 Debenhams group trading director Suzanne Harlow was promoted to the board yesterday, becoming the department store group’s first female board-level executive director. Harlow has been with the company since 1994 and group trading director since 2008. The retailer currently has two female non-executive directors – BSkyB managing director Sophie Turner Laing and former Capital Radio [...]
PZ Cussons tanned by St Tropez December 11, 2013 PZ Cussons said more customers had taken a shine to its St Tropez tanning products thanks to its advertisements featuring Kate Moss, boosting sales in the first half. The company behind Imperial Leather soaps said revenue and operating profit were four per cent and six per cent higher respectively in the six months to 30 [...]
Ferrovial’s Amey wins contracts December 11, 2013 Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial said yesterday that its British subsidiary had won extensions to two contracts to maintain sewer pipes and provide other water services, in deals worth £415m. Amey will help to maintain sewer pipes and clean water infrastructure for United Utilities from 2015 to 2020, in a contract worth £225m. Ferrovial also won [...]
City Moves for 12 December 2013 | Who’s switching jobs December 11, 2013 Orchard Street The commercial property investment manager has hired Philip Gadsden as managing partner. He was formerly international director at LaSalle Investment Management, and deputy chief executive at Invista Real Estate Investment Management. Allen & Overy The law firm has appointed Stephen Lloyd as a private equity partner in its London corporate group. He was previously [...]
Best of the Brokers for 12 December 2013 December 11, 2013 BREWIN DOLPHIN N+1 Singer reiterates its ‘buy’ rating on Brewin Dolphin saying its final results last week exceeded its forecasts. Highlights improvement in operating margin, and says the results provided clarity on progress and direction. UNITED BUSINESS MEDIA Deutsche Bank upgrades UBM to ‘buy’ and raises its target price to 830p from 750p. It believes [...]
London Report: FTSE sheds points as taper fears return to haunt investors December 11, 2013 THE UK’S top share index ended slightly lower yesterday with a provisional budget deal in Washington raising concerns of a reduction in US stimulus as early as next week. The agreement, reached late on Tuesday, would end three years of impasse and fiscal instability in Washington that culminated in October with a partial government shutdown. [...]
New York Report: Wall St slides on Fed fears December 11, 2013 US stocks posted their largest drop in a month yesterday as traders locked in recent gains after a provisional budget deal out of Washington removed one of the near-term reasons for the Fed to keep up its current pace of economic stimulus. The bipartisan budget agreement reached late Tuesday would end three years of political [...]
Volcker Rule is nothing to celebrate and financial markets could suffer December 11, 2013 FORMER Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker made his way through the snowy streets of Washington, DC on 10 December to attend a celebratory lunch. To widespread applause, the new rule that bears Volcker’s name has now been finalised by the five regulatory agencies responsible for it. Yet after the thousand page rule has taken hold [...]
Banking regulations are causing problems for the humanitarian chain to Syria December 11, 2013 WHENEVER anyone dips a hand into their pocket for a worthy cause on the other side of the world, it’s only human to focus on the striking images of a starving child or a bereaved family. Thoughts of the world’s banking and regulatory systems will hardly loom large, so those who give could be forgiven [...]
