Carnival results show recovery September 25, 2012 Carnival yesterday reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, helped by a revival in the cruise industry, which had suffered because of the fatal Costa Concordia accident in January. Carnival said that in the last six weeks, bookings excluding the Costa line had risen nine per cent from a year earlier. Revenue fell 7.4 per cent to $4.68bn [...]
Staples to close more stores September 25, 2012 Staples said yesterday it will close more stores, implement leadership changes and invest in its online unit as the largest US office supply chain looks for ways to cut down expenses and grow in a struggling economy. The group plans to close 45 sites in Europe and accelerate the closing of 15 stores in the [...]
Olympic Games and Mail Online lift DMGT sales September 25, 2012 THE PUBLISHER of the Daily Mail said yesterday that its national news division had been boosted by the Olympics, reporting a seven per cent rise in ad sales over July and August. Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) saw a three per cent rise in underlying sales in the 11 months to the end of [...]
Close Brothers steps into the void to boost loan book value September 25, 2012 CLOSE Brothers, the FTSE listed financial services firm, yesterday reported a bumper year for its banking division as it capitalised on tightening credit conditions from traditional lenders to grow its loan book value by 20 per cent. The 134-year old firm saw operating profits in its banking division soar 27 per cent to £135m on [...]
Gold rush over for Albemarle & Bond as share price drops 12pc September 25, 2012 PAWNBROKING firm Albemarle & Bond’s shares plunged 12 per cent yesterday as investors priced in a drop in gold buying activity that is set to slow the firm’s profits next year. The firm said in its annual results yesterday gold buying volumes were set for a “major reduction” compared to the first half of this [...]
Sky boss pockets £7m payout September 25, 2012 BSKYB chief executive Jeremy Darroch took home £7.3m in pay, bonuses and share options this year, the broadcaster has revealed in its annual report. Sky also said that two directors – Jacques Nasser and Lord Wilson – would retire at the end of the year.
Draghi urges Germany to back ECB rescue plan September 25, 2012 EUROPEAN Central Bank chief Mario Draghi urged Germany to support its plan to buy up more bonds of troubled Eurozone governments, at a speech in Berlin yesterday. Draghi said that he respected German reservations over further interventions from the ECB, yet insisted that it is in the country’s interest to get behind measures intended to [...]
Greece to be classed as emerging market September 25, 2012 THE FTSE yesterday said it was considering downgrading Greece to emerging market status, while separate reports said that the IMF could turn off its aid tap until the country restructures its debt mountain. Index provider FTSE has not yet reclassified Greece, but moved the beleaguered Eurozone member to its watch list to consider demoting it [...]
Boost to consumer morale in Germany and Italy but French industry struggling September 25, 2012 GERMAN consumers will maintain their good spirits into October, just as Italian consumer sentiment also seemed to be improving, two sets of data showed yesterday. Consumer confidence was at an index score of 5.9 in Germany, according to a forward looking measure from researchers GfK, the same positive result as last month. GfK said this [...]
Swiss National Bank hits back at ratings agency bond claims September 25, 2012 THE SWISS central bank yesterday denied claims from ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) that it distorted bond markets for “core” Eurozone members. S&P had said that the Swiss National Bank (SNB) bought €80bn worth of bonds from stable “core” Eurozone nations between January and July 2012, effectively funding around half of the deficits in [...]
