Travel caterer SSP serves maiden dividend after booking a profit May 21, 2015 TRAVEL caterer SSP yesterday handed shareholders its maiden dividend since floating on the London stock market last year, as it reported a surge in profits. SSP, which owns and runs franchises in airports and train stations for retailers including Marks & Spencer, said operating profit rose by 28 per cent to £25.2m in the six [...]
Shares in Daily Mail owner rise yet profits dip May 21, 2015 SHARES in Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), the group behind the Daily Mail newspaper, jumped nearly six per cent yesterday after it reported half-year results to 31 March. Reported revenues dropped one per cent from the first half of 2014 to £922m, and reported profits before tax were down four per cent to £146m. [...]
Dragon Oil shares jump on Dubai fund’s £3.6bn takeover bid price May 21, 2015 SHARES in Dubai-based Dragon Oil jumped by 5.43 per cent yesterday, after the Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) announced a cash offer of 735p per share for the 46 per cent of the firm it does not own. Dragon Oil said it had formed an independent committee of the board to evaluate the bid. Enoc, [...]
Mirror increases phone-hacking pot as Gazza wins major payout May 21, 2015 TRINITY Mirror, which publishes the Daily Mirror, has increased the amount it will spend dealing with the consequences of the phone-hacking scandal. Last year it set aside £12m, but it has now added another £16m. Much of the £28m will go on legal costs. Yesterday ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne was awarded £188,250, and actress Sadie Frost [...]
Brent crude price up as supply glut eases May 21, 2015 Benchmark Brent crude oil was back up to $66 a barrel yesterday, marking the second consecutive day of price increases for the commodity. Expectations that oversupply in the market may be coming to an end and news that US crude inventories declined for the third week in a row, as well as ongoing fighting in [...]
Self-styled bank sheriff Ben Lawksy hangs up his badge May 21, 2015 Banks in the UK and across Europe will be breathing a little easier next month after New York’s top financial crime cop Ben Lawsky, who mounted an aggressive campaign against some of the world’s biggest institutions, exits his role policing financial firms operating in the Big Apple to take up a West Coast teaching job. [...]
Just Eat orders £445m placing for takeaway May 21, 2015 JUST EAT moved closer to gobbling up Australian takeaway business Menulog last night, after it closed the books on its £445m placing and open offer. Bookrunners JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs have conditionally placed 105.4m new ordinary shares with institutional investors at 425p per share, which will fund its acquisition of Menulog. The online takeaway [...]
West End landlord Shaftesbury goes to town with jump in value May 21, 2015 SHAFTESBURY posted a jump in the value of its large West End estate, buoyed by tourists and Londoners flocking to its cafes and shops. The developer’s 14-acre portfolio, which includes Carnaby Street and Chinatown, increased by eight per cent in value, to £2.86bn, in the year to 31 March. Net property income rose 6.3 per [...]
Eurozone economic growth slows but recovery still on right track May 21, 2015 THE EUROZONE’S rising growth rate moderated in May, according to survey results published today, while consumer confidence weakened. A survey of firms across the services, manufacturing and construction sectors – Markit’s purchasing mangers’ index – fell to a score of 53.4 in May from April’s 53.9. Scores above 50 indicate growth, with higher numbers translating [...]
Rate-setters at European Central Bank will continue bond buying May 21, 2015 MINUTES of a meeting of Eurozone rate-setters yesterday revealed that members were committed to continuing their €60bn (£43bn) a month bond buying programme until September 2016. The programme was launched by the European Central Bank (ECB) in March to boost the economy. The Eurozone economy grew by 0.4 per cent during the first three months [...]
