Bank sticks to Carney’s rules as interest rate is held again October 10, 2013 THE Bank of England held the benchmark interest rate at 0.5 per cent yesterday for the 55th consecutive month, with no changes to quantitative easing. With the Bank’s monetary policy committee seemingly sticking to the forward guidance policy laid out by new governor Mark Carney in August, there looks to be little scope for upset [...]
Healthcare group eyes move to the shard October 10, 2013 THE SHARD skyscraper is close to securing its biggest tenant to date, with HCA Hospitals eyeing 90,000 square feet. The private healthcare provider is understood to have submitted plans to change the use of the fourth to sixth floors into offices and a healthcare facility.
BAE warns US shutdown may harm business October 10, 2013 FTSE 100-listed aerospace firm BAE Systems warned yesterday that its US operations would be affected if the fiscal deadlock continues. Since the shutdown began on 1 October, around 1,200 of BAE’s US employees have been “temporarily directed not to report to work” and have not been paid since the start of this week. The staff [...]
Bottom Line: Challenges await Sir Roger Carr as he prepares to take the helm October 10, 2013 OUT of the frying pan and into the fire. Sir Roger Carr may manage to side-step the ongoing row over energy prices when he leaves the chairmanship of British Gas-owner Centrica next year, but it looks like he will still have plenty on his plate as he heads straight to BAE Systems. Exactly a year [...]
Ofcom could hike network fees next year October 10, 2013 MOBILE operators could see the annual fees they pay to use radio spectrum increase 400 per cent, according to a proposal from Ofcom yesterday. The fee increase could lead to higher mobile phone bills if operators decide to pass on the increases to consumers. Ofcom plans to hike the bill for 1800Mhz frequencies from £40m [...]
Just Eat’s sales sizzle as more restaurants join October 10, 2013 ONLINE takeaway network Just Eat enjoyed a 77 per cent jump in revenues last year, as 11,000 more restaurants joined its online service, taking its client list up to 32,000. Just Eat Group Holdings, which allows hungry customers to browse multiple takeaway menus, said it generated £59.8m across all of its businesses, £41m of which [...]
Inside Track: Independent analysts don’t always say what you want October 10, 2013 FOR several months now I have been arguing that an understanding of the new issues market would be enhanced by the presence of independent analysts, writing research about companies coming to market ahead of the first day’s trading. Most of the recent London flotations have gone ahead with no research from any bank that is [...]
Ashmore gets funds boost October 10, 2013 INVESTMENT manager Ashmore Group attracted $600m (£376m) of net inflows from clients between July and September, a sign of sustained investor appetite for its emerging market funds despite recent volatility. The inflows – strongest in its debt products – combined with positive investment performance to raise Ashmore’s assets under management to $78.5bn at the end [...]
Hays sees signs of jobs growth October 10, 2013 HAYS yesterday became the latest recruitment firm to see signs of improvement in the UK jobs market, after posting an eight per cent rise in quarterly like-for-like fees. The company said more permanent placements were being advertised, as it raised its own headcount from 1,929 to 2,034 in the three month period. The group said [...]
New WH Smith boss pledges to keep lid on costs October 10, 2013 WH SMITH’s new boss Stephen Clarke said yesterday he would continue the cost-cutting strategy laid out by his predecessor Kate Swann and step up growth overseas, as the group posted a rise in profits despite a decline in full-year sales. The news and stationary retailer, which also announced a further £50m share buyback, said total [...]
