Global market turmoil fails to derail UK consumer confidence in January January 29, 2016 UK CONSUMER confidence rose in January, shrugging off the global market volatility that overshadowed the start of the year. Market research firm GfK found that its consumer confidence index increased by two points to +4 in January, while a comparable index by YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) rose by 0.1 [...]
Visa’s contactless payments soar by 250pc in the UK, as firm reports record revenues in Europe January 26, 2016 Cash is no longer king in the UK, where Visa Europe's contactless payments soared by 250 per cent last year. The electronic payments business said that people purchasing items by waving their Visa credit or debit cards over payment terminals now accounts for 1-in-7 of their transactions in the UK, up from just 1-in-25 a year [...]
UK outperforms Europe for early-stage mergers and acquisitions activity despite Brexit fears January 26, 2016 The UK is outperforming the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region for early-stage mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, according to new research published today. Dealmakers in the country are clearly undeterred by the recent market volatility, with data from financial software provider Intralinks showing that the number of M&A deals that are either in preparation [...]
NYSE-listed Johnson Controls buys Ireland’s Tyco International in £22bn tax inversion deal January 25, 2016 JOHNSON Controls today agreed to acquire Tyco International, creating a merged entity with revenues of more than $32bn (£22.4bn) that will be based in the low-tax haven Ireland. New York Stock Exchange-listed Johnson Controls is an American company that makes heating systems, car batteries and energy-efficiency measures for buildings, while Tyco produces fire protection and [...]
Balfour warns Carillion not to build on its bid August 14, 2014 BALFOUR Beatty yesterday defended its decision to reject a takeover approach from Carillion, after the rival construction firm sweetened its offer with an additional dividend. Carillion had argued that a merger – which would create a £3bn construction giant – would deliver £175m in annual cost savings. It said it had held meetings with several [...]
SSE calls for one national cost to deliver energy August 14, 2014 ENERGY giant SSE yesterday called for a shake-up of electricity transportation costs that could result in higher bills for some customers. The FTSE 100-quoted firm said it planned to examine “whether the different regional costs of transporting electricity could be passed on to suppliers as one national charge”. The cost of delivering electricity to different [...]
Centamin announces first ever dividend as earnings decline August 14, 2014 EGYPT-FOCUSED gold miner Centamin yesterday announced its first dividend of 0.87 cents per share, as it unveiled weaker-than-expected second-quarter results. The FTSE 250 firm said earnings had halved to $32.6m (£19.5m) in the second quarter compared to the same period the previous year, as it mined lower grade ore at its flagship Sukari mine in [...]
Shell pockets £1.26bn for US shale gas fields August 14, 2014 ROYAL Dutch Shell yesterday said it had sold two US shale gas assets in exchange for $2.1bn (£1.26bn) and additional acreage, as the oil and gas major sought to restructure its North American portfolio. FTSE 100-listed Shell has sold its Haynesville asset in Louisiana for $1.2bn to Vine Oil and Gas, a recently formed exploration and [...]
Npower blames government and costs increase for 38pc profit fall August 14, 2014 BIG SIX energy supplier Npower yesterday posted a 38 per cent slump in first-half profit to £176m, which it blamed on increased customer service costs and government levies. The company, which is owned by German power giant RWE, lost more than 62,000 domestic customers during the first half of the year, after various surveys found [...]
Ophir launches £60m buyback to return cash to shareholders August 14, 2014 OPHIR Energy’s share price soared over six per cent yesterday, after the oil explorer unveiled a $100m (£59.9m) share buyback programme to return cash to investors. The FTSE 250-listed firm has seen its market value halve since the start of the year, due to a string of disappointing exploration results. Ophir swung back into profit [...]
