Imperial shares rise after sales boost February 2, 2011 Imperial Tobacco, the world’s fourth-biggest cigarette maker, posted a five per cent rise in quarterly sales and saw its shares rise this morning Imperial, with cigarette brands including Lambert & Butler, West and Gauloises, was reporting on its first-quarter trading from October to December 2010 on Wednesday within its current financial year to end-September 2011. [...]
BBVA in profit rise despite Spain debt crisis February 2, 2011 Spanish bank BBVA has reported a 9.4 per cent rise in full-year net profit to 4.6bn euros (£3.9bn). Lenders in Spain have been struggling with the fallout the credit crisis, with Spain’s economy being badly hit. BBVA does still have exposure to bad housing sector loans on its books. However, it says it now has [...]
JD Sports on takeover talks for JJB February 2, 2011 Sportswear retailer JD Sports Fashion has approached its struggling rival JJB Sports about a possible takeover offer, the two companies said. JD Sports said it was in “early stage” discussions with JJB’s board, while JJB Sports described the talks as “highly preliminary.” Both companies said there was no certainty an offer would be made by [...]
Manufacturing grows at record pace February 1, 2011 Manufacturing activity grew in January at its fastest pace since records began in 1992, and factory costs also surged, in a further sign that price pressures are building in the economy, a survey showed. Employment in the manufacturing sector also rose at the quickest pace since the records began. The Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index [...]
House prices dip in January February 1, 2011 House prices dipped by 0.1 per cent in January survey from the Nationwide building society. It meant the average UK home cost just over £161,600. The Nationwide forecast that house prices would stay static during 2011. Nationwide chief economist Robert Gardner said: “The property market entered 2011 with a whimper rather than a bang. “The [...]
BP reports £3bn loss but restores dividend February 1, 2011 BP has reported a loss of $4.9bn (£3.1bn) for 2010 even after the cost of the Gulf of Mexico spill was taken into account. The replacement cost loss comes after $40.9bn was set aside to pay for the aftermath of the disaster. BP had recorded a $13.9bn profit in 2009. The company’s chief executive, Robert [...]
Ocado posts first pre-tax profit February 1, 2011 Online grocer Ocado made its first pre-tax profit in its fourth quarter, ahead of expectations, and said it was continuing to see strong sales growth at the start of its new financial year. Ocado, whose shares have bounced back from a dismal first few months of trading, said on Tuesday it made a pre-tax loss [...]
Arm beats forecasts with 47pc profit jump February 1, 2011 Chip designer ARM beat expectations with a 47 per cent rise in fourth-quarter profit on , helped by booming growth in smartphones and tablet computers, and said it was well placed for 2011. The company, whose architecture is licensed to chipmakers like Infineon , Qualcomm and Samsung, reported pre-tax profit of 47.6 million pounds on [...]
House prices up 1.5 per cent in December January 31, 2011 House prices in England and Wales fell 0.2 per cent in December, leaving them 1.5 per cent higher than the same month a year ago, figures from the Land Registry showed. The government agency said the average price of a home in December was £164,773. House price growth has been easing in recent months as [...]
Eurozone inflation in unexpected rise January 31, 2011 Eurozone inflation jumped more than expected in January, rising well above the European Central Bank’s target in what is likely to fuel market speculation the ECB might have to raise interest rates sooner than thought. The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat estimated on Monday that consumer prices in the 17 countries using the euro rose [...]
