Oil begins to slide again as HSBC cuts oil price forecasts January 25, 2016 So much for that oil rally. Brent crude slid back down to $31.36 in early afternoon trading – just as HSBC cut its oil price forecast fot he rest of the year. The fall in Brent crude came after oil cartel Opec, which produces 42 per cent of the world's oil, called for all oil-producing [...]
Weird Christmas? Retail sales fell in December – as clothing sales were hit by warm weather January 22, 2016 Either people finished their Christmas shopping early this year, or they had a decidedly miserly Christmas. Official figures have shown retail sales actually fell by one per cent between November and December. But the figures, by the Office for National Statistics, showed sales rose 2.6 per cent compared with the year before, while online sales rose 8.2 per cent. [...]
Halfords’ share price jumps as company cuts costs to keep profit on track January 21, 2016 Halfords's share price jumped this morning after the group cut back expected costs in its retail arm, enabling it to keep its profit guidance unchanged following muted third quarter sales. The figures Total revenues for the 15 weeks to 15 January were up 0.4 per cent across the group, but for its retail division sales actually fell 0.3 per [...]
The tradition of Christmas shopping on the high street could be about to come to an end January 20, 2016 We’ve come to that time in the New Year when retailers and investors alike look back on the data accumulated by shops throughout the Christmas season. Next was the first retailer to release the data and it wasn’t great news – either for them or for other high street retailers, as we had disappointing updates from everyone from [...]
This $2m report just killed calls for a limit on Uber driver numbers January 18, 2016 Uber has been delivered a boost in London after a new report concluded the taxi-hailing service has little effect on city congestion. The report, quietly published on a Friday before a public holiday, ended previous attempts by New York mayor Bill de Blasio and City Hall to cap for-hire vehicle numbers in the city. It comes amid similar calls by the London [...]
UK footfall slumps in December as Britons spend Christmas online January 18, 2016 Britain's high streets suffered their biggest drop in footfall in over a year in December, as Britons shunned stores in favour of buying Christmas presents online. Traffic fell by four per cent year-on-year, which is far greater than the drop of 1.8 per cent in December 2014 and marked the biggest drop since November that same [...]
Huntingdon and Warwick racing betting: Ubak ready for novices’ chase January 14, 2016 HUNTINGDON stages a fair card on Friday afternoon where the highlight is the Chatteris Fen Juvenile Hurdle. Sceau Royal is going to be very hard to beat, but will be priced accordingly, so I’ll focus on the novices’ limited handicap chase instead (3.20pm). This is a competitive little field, with the likes of Three Faces [...]
Brent and WTI crude: Oil prices steady after new year sell-off January 14, 2016 Oil prices steadied today, following a brutal new year sell-off which pushed the black stuff to 12-year lows. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose 0.6 per cent to $30.49 per barrel. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, jumped 1.4 per cent to $30.90 per barrel. Oil prices have shed nearly 20 per cent since [...]
Home Retail Group’s share price rises despite disappointing figures as break up of Homebase and Argos looms January 14, 2016 Home Retail Group has warned that profits will be at the lower end of expectations, after a "mixed" performance from Argos. The figures Argos like-for-like sales decreased 2.2 per cent in the 18 weeks to 2 January to £1.84bn, although new digital concessions added in the past year contributed 3.1 per cent to growth. At Homebase, like-for-like sales grew by five [...]
Boohoo’s share price climbs as it ups guidance after sales soar January 12, 2016 Boohoo has raised its revenue guidance for the financial year as its sales soared 45 per cent in the four months to 31 December. The figures Boohoo has had a very strong period, with revenues up 45 per cent in the UK, 33 per cent in Europe and 52 per cent in the rest of the [...]