AT A GLANCE: BOLTON’S TAKE ON MARKETS, THE WORLD AND WAR November 14, 2011 Market view Bolton struck a bullish tone in his half-yearly message to investors, despite a “most disappointing” six months. He said a strong market recovery was “likely” over the next few months after sentiment plunged at the beginning of October to the lowest levels he had seen in his career. “The most important reason that I [...]
The dubious rise of the Energy Man November 14, 2011 AN advert on the Tube recently caught my eye. It was for an energy drink with two versions: a his and hers. His was called Wellman; her’s Wellwoman. The Boots logo on the bottom told me that this is a humdrum, mainstream product. The ad was striking for one big reason: its extremely traditional idea [...]
Episode 36: Money, Money, Money November 14, 2011 Emma: You’ve given Nick £50,000. David: Lent. Not given. Emma: His business is going bust. David: It’s not going bust. It’s a cash flow issue. Emma: “Cash flow issue”? Don’t you people ever learn anything? David: What do you mean, “you people”? Emma: Masters of the Universe. Financial Harry Potters. Bankers, David. Isn’t this the [...]
Mirror and Sun named in hack inquiry November 14, 2011 THE DAILY Mirror and The Sun are at risk of being dragged into the phone hacking scandal that led to the closure of the News of the World, according to an independent inquiry into press standards. The Leveson inquiry has discovered a name relating to the Daily Mirror in a notebook used by the shamed [...]
ITV shows it has X Factor as sales rise November 14, 2011 ITV yesterday showed it still has the X Factor, reporting an jump in advertising revenue off the back of the Rugby World Cup and hit shows like Downton Abbey. However, the broadcaster is expecting the ad market to cool over an icy Christmas period, with projected revenues dipping as much as 10 per cent in [...]
Sage slapped with legal bid November 14, 2011 SAGE Group is embroiled in a legal row with an Australian private equity outfit over its decision to walk away from talks to buy MYOB. Archer Capital, which owned a stake in the Melbourne-based firm, has launched a lawsuit – thought to be worth in the region of £83m – arguing the eventual sale of [...]
Twilight firm sinks its teeth into a juicy profit November 14, 2011 THE DISTRIBUTOR of the Twilight franchise and owner of kids’ favourite Peppa Pig swung to its first six month profit since stepping up to the LSE last summer. Entertainment One (E1) posted pre-tax profits of £9.8m, up from a loss of £1.5m a year ago. Its revenues were up one per cent to £204.6m. The [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: HOW GOOD ARE ITV’S THIRD QUARTER RESULTS? November 14, 2011 IAN WHITTAKER | LIBERUM CAPITAL ITV’s third quarter ad revenue performance was in line with expectations, but the fourth quarter looks to have started well. We expect consensus upgrades of four per cent at the adjusted earnings per share level. LORNA TILBIAN | NUMIS We retain our positive stance on ITV, which is making good [...]
Yell asks for loan flexibility November 14, 2011 Yellow pages publisher Yell Group has launched a loan amendment process aimed at reducing and refinancing its £2.6bn debt as it does not expect to grow by 2015. Yell asked lenders to relax its loan terms to provide it with the flexibility to explore ways to reduce its long-term borrowings. It intends to buy back [...]
Eros sees its profits soar November 14, 2011 Bollywood film giant Eros enjoyed an Indian summer yesterday as its revenues soared 35 per cent to hit $92m (£57.9m). It spiced up its balance sheet with pre-tax profits of $29m, up four per cent year-on-year. It enjoyed a bumper year of Bollywood hits including the release of Ready, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Murder 2 [...]
