Altice hits out at rival Bouygues over failed offer June 25, 2015 PATRICK Drahi’s telecoms group Altice yesterday slammed rival Bouygues over the takeover bid it rejected earlier this week. Bouygues turned down an offer that sources put at around €10bn (£7bn) for its telecoms unit on Wednesday, with the group’s chief executive Martin Bouygues telling a French newspaper: “Bouygues Telecom is not for sale.” Altice confirmed [...]
High US spend likely to bring early rate hike June 25, 2015 US CONSUMER spending recorded its largest increase in nearly six years last month, thanks to strong demand for automobiles and other pricey items, according to official data out yesterday. The US commerce department said that consumer spending rose 0.9 per cent last month, the biggest gain since August 2009, after a 0.1 per cent rise in [...]
Nike does it again with profit bounce June 25, 2015 Nike last night reported a better-than-expected profit for the eighth quarter in a row, as it sold more high margin basketball shoes and apparel at higher prices. The company’s net income rose 24 per cent to $865m (£549m), while revenue rose 4.8 per cent to $7.78bn.
Cuadrilla fails in first Lancashire fracking site bid June 25, 2015 Cuadrilla has failed in its bid to get a fracking project approved at Roseacre Wood in Lancashire, a move the energy company said was disappointing but not surprising, and says it may appeal the decision. The company had two decisions under review, and Lancashire County Council’s planning officers had recommended that the bid be declined. [...]
Match.com and Tinder hoping to woo investors with flotation June 25, 2015 MEDIA mogul Barry Diller is looking for love from investors, with plans to float popular dating website Match.com and the mobile dating app Tinder. Diller’s IAC/Interactive Corp said yesterday that it was looking to list its dating business, Match Group, which includes both Match and Tinder. Investors welcomed the move, with IAC shares jumping seven [...]
New finance chief for RBS spin-off bank June 25, 2015 CHALLENGER bank Williams & Glyn has hired a new chief financial officer from New Zealand. Royal Bank of Scotland – which is set to spin off its Williams & Glyn business – announced yesterday that Leigh Bartlett would join the bank from Westpac New Zealand. Bartlett, who is British, has worked at Westpac for four [...]
Shares rally on US Supreme Court decision June 25, 2015 SHARES in US hospitals surged yesterday after the US Supreme Court upheld subsidies for individual Americans under President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. Shares of several hospital groups hit all-time highs on the decision, with investors welcoming the news that millions of insurance customers created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), more often called “Obamacare”, [...]
Migration pushes UK population up by 500,000 to a new record June 25, 2015 The population of the UK has hit a record high, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said, with the average age also reaching a new peak. The population at 30 June 2014 is estimated to have been 64,596,800, an increase of 491,100 or 0.77 per cent on the year before. Most of the increase [...]
French stage fiery protest over Uber June 25, 2015 FRANCE’S interior minister called for a nationwide legal clampdown on Uber yesterday, siding with taxi drivers who blockaded major transport hubs in angry protests (see above) against the US online ridesharing service.
Post-recession peak for home buyer deposits June 25, 2015 PROSPECTIVE homebuyers face having to pay the highest level of deposit since 2009. The average deposit reached £72,302 last month, according to figures released today by the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB). It marks the highest deposit since the MAB first started publishing the data six years ago. The size of the average loan also ticked [...]
