Frank Field slams financial regulator over delay to pension advice fee decision October 4, 2018 Influential MP Frank Field has slammed the financial regulator for delaying a decision on whether to ban a model of charging for pensions advice which is believed to have driven mis-selling to thousands of retirees. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it sought views on whether to ban contingent charging – where a pension adviser [...]
Comcast confirms it has secured 75 per cent of Sky shares October 4, 2018 US media titan Comcast today confirmed it had snapped up over 75 per cent of Sky's shares – leading it tantalisingly close to finalising its acquisition of the British broadcaster. In a regulatory filing, Comcast said that once Fox's sale of its 39 per cent stake in Sky had been approved, it would hold over [...]
Diageo, WPP and Standard Chartered top league table of leading UK brands for gender equality October 4, 2018 Drinks maker Diageo, WPP and Standard Chartered have been named as the top performing UK companies for gender equality. However, the study admitted that despite progress being made, there was still a "long way to go" before equality was achieved in companies worldwide. General Motors in the US was the top performing brand worldwide. Worldwide, [...]
Apple, Google and Amazon top list of world’s most valuable brands October 4, 2018 Tech giants Apple, Google and Amazon have topped a list of the most valuable brands in the world in an influential study. British car company Jaguar Land Rover came in at 78th on the 100-strong list, while Burberry snatched 94th place and whisky maker Johnnie Walker took 97th. Spotify made its debut on Interbrand's list, [...]
DFS shares wobble after pre-tax profits almost halve in full-year results October 4, 2018 Sofa firm DFS said the summer heatwave caused profits to fall this year, despite an uptick in revenue, causing shares to tumble by an initial nine per cent before recovering in early morning trading. The figures Pre-tax profit was nearly cut in halve as it fell a massive 48.5 per cent in the 52 weeks up [...]
Top Royal Mail investor expresses anger at company’s handling of union pension deal October 3, 2018 A major investor in postal giant Royal Mail has expressed anger at the management of the company in the same week its shares have taken a battering. Shares in the firm fell 14 per cent on Monday after it issued a profit warning, before closing down another seven per cent yesterday. Royal Mail has seen some [...]
Telcos shell out €6.5bn in Italian 5G spectrum auction October 3, 2018 The Italian government has raised €6.5bn after it flogged off 5G of the spectrum at auction. The 14 day auction for the superfast spectrum saw four major networks, including Vodafone, battle it out for a slice of the spectrum. Proceeds from the auction added up to double of what had originally been anticipated, and will be [...]
ITV shares rise as it rules itself out of buying Peaky Blinders maker Endemol Shine October 3, 2018 ITV shares lifted today after the company ruled itself out of the race to buy production house Endemol Shine. Media reports had linked ITV to a bid for the Dutch creator of shows like Peaky Blinders and Big Brother, but in a statement to the market the broadcaster said it was not interested in striking a [...]
Comcast raises money for Sky purchase with $27bn bond sale October 3, 2018 US media giant Comcast has carried out one of the biggest bond sales in corporate history, borrowing $27bn to fund its acquisition of Sky. The bond sale is the second largest of the year and fourth largest in corporate history. Read more: Sky share price flies after Comcast’s £30bn takeover offer The company sold unsecured bonds [...]
Wincanton gets share boost as it stays on track to meet full-year targets October 3, 2018 Logistics firm Wincanton got a boost to its share price this morning after it said it was on track to meet its targets next year. A trading statement ahead of its half year results said the group had experienced "good levels of trading" in the first half and expected its full year results up to 31 [...]
