New watchdog: we don’t care if London is competitive or not November 1, 2011 THE NEW regulator charged with protecting consumers should not have to take into account the competitiveness of the City when making decisions, its incoming chief Martin Wheatley said yesterday. Appearing before the influential Treasury Select Committee, Wheatley, who will run the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) when it is created next year, said that the body [...]
Should the protesters at St Paul’s be forced to move their camp? November 1, 2011 This week we’re asking members of the Voice of the City Panel to say whether they think the protesters at St Paul’s should be allowed to keep their camp there. We also want to know how clear you think the aims of the protesters are. Finally, how have St Paul’s and the City of London handled the [...]
Pfizer beats forecast with $3.4bn profit November 1, 2011 PFIZER reported better-than-expected quarterly results yesterday, helped by the weaker dollar and strong performance of the nutritionals and animal health businesses it plans to sell or spin off. The world’s biggest drugmaker, whose top-selling Lipitor cholesterol fighter will face generic competition in the US from 30 November, boosted its full-year 2011 profit forecast and predicted [...]
US auto sales growth is at its best rate for year November 1, 2011 US CAR sales rose to near their highest level of 2011 in October, early sales results showed, although shares in General Motors and other automakers tumbled yesterday on concern that the industry’s slow recovery could falter. Chrysler posted a 27 per cent gain in October US sales – its best result in four years – [...]
BofA in U-turn over debit fees November 1, 2011 BANK of America has scrapped plans to charge a $5 per month debit fee, handing a victory to consumers and protesters angry with big banks. The second-biggest US bank said yesterday that the move was in response to customer feedback and competition. BofA was under pressure to make the change as rivals backtracked from plans [...]
Revenues lifted at Dollar Thrifty November 1, 2011 DOLLAR Thrifty Automotive Group posted strong third-quarter results that beat estimates on higher car rental revenue yesterday, and the company forecast fourth-quarter rental revenue growth of about one to two per cent. The company posted a third-quarter net income of $66.6m (£41.8m), compared with $49.2m a year ago. Revenue rose to $451.7m from $443.5m. Vehicle [...]
WERE IMPERIAL’S FIGURES IN LINE WITH EXPECTATIONS? November 1, 2011 TINA COOK | CHARLES STANLEY Imperial Tobacco continues to demonstrate resilience with strength in emerging markets helping to offset headwinds in Spain and the UK. The main positive surprise is a continuation of shareholder friendly actions with a 13 per cent increase in the dividend on a slightly larger than expected hike in the payout [...]
Rathbones adds £307m in funds November 1, 2011 WEALTH manager Rathbone Brothers showed it had continued to pull in clients over the summer, as it said yesterday that net new funds going into the firm hit £307m in the three months to September. However, falling markets meant funds under management were £15.1bn, a 3.2 per cent drop over the period. “We expect markets [...]
Reuters beats results forecast November 1, 2011 MEDIA group Thomson Reuters yesterday posted results ahead of forecast as its professional information business offset sluggish growth in its markets division. Sales to legal, tax and accounting professionals jumped 10 per cent, buoyed by strong sales of its WestlawNext software. But growth was subdued in the unit that caters to banks and other financial [...]
House prices edge up in a soft market November 1, 2011 HOUSE prices nudged up last month, beating expectations for no change, driven by sales in more affluent areas, data from mortgage lender Nationwide showed yesterday. House prices rose 0.4 per cent in October having risen 0.1 per cent in September, pushing them 0.8 per cent higher than a year ago, the first time annual house [...]
