Ex-Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy’s investment firm eyes New Look bid with China’s CDH May 5, 2015 The investment firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), which names supermarket supremo Sir Terry Leahy among its advisers, is assembling a bid for high street fashion chain New Look, according to reports. The private equity firm, which former Tesco boss Leahy joined in 2011, has held talks with Chinese group CDH to mount a bid for [...]
After weak growth in the first quarter, is the US still the driving force of the global economy? April 29, 2015 Richard Batley, senior economist at Lombard Street Research, says Yes US growth is going through a soft patch. This was initially the result of the negative impact of lower oil prices. A strong dollar then piled on the pressure. The port strike and a vicious winter also caused expansion to slow. Of all these negatives, [...]
Samsung Vs Apple: Galaxy S6 maker back on top despite record iPhone 6 sales April 29, 2015 Apple may have had another incredible quarter with the huge success of the new iPhone 6, but Samsung managed to steal back the much sought after smartphone crown from the world's biggest company. Samsung recaptured the title of the world's largest seller of smartphones by volume, shipping 83.2m devices in the first quarter of the [...]
StanChart mulls leaving UK as bank levy rises April 28, 2015 STANDARD Chartered is considering leaving Britain over mounting pressure from the bank levy, its finance director said yesterday. It comes after HSBC’s bosses said the hostile atmosphere in the UK could push it to move to another country. Hong Kong or Singapore are both considered likely destinations for the pair. Standard Chartered expects to pay [...]
Best of the Brokers for 28 April 2015 April 27, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com SINCLAIR IS PHARMA Finncap reduces its rating to “Hold” with a target price of 43p. Sinclair is now free to sell its new product, Silhouette Instalift, in the US, although its approach to that market is part of the ongoing strategic review and [...]
No clocking off in Apple Watch battle: Why Swiss watchmaker H. Moser & Cie boss Edouard Meylan is bullish about the future April 26, 2015 Even without the usual queues of devoted fans outside its stores, Apple created enough hype around its long-awaited watch that when it went on sale earlier this month, the limited first run sold out within hours. The £12,000 Watch Edition – made with gold – was one of the first of its 38 style options to [...]
Pernod lifted by rebound in Chinese market April 23, 2015 STRONG demand from China helped lift like-for-like sales by seven per cent at French beverage firm Pernod Ricard’s third quarter results revealed yesterday. Despite a recent crackdown on the conspicuous consumption of alcohol in China, the company – which derives 15 per cent of its profits from the country – saw sales surge 38 per [...]
High season at Ten Trinity Square: Architect Suzette Vela Burkett on restoring a grand Tower Hill landmark April 23, 2015 One of the city’s finest buildings, Ten Trinity Square, is set to re-open at the end of 2016 as a Four Seasons Hotel, with luxury residences on top. It was opened by Prime Minister David Lloyd George in 1922 as the Port of London Authority and it took 11 years to build. It also hosted [...]
The future is now: Investors spotting futuristic themes have been able to get ahead April 23, 2015 THEMATIC INVESTING Most savvy investors have a portion of their portfolio given over to emerging markets. Investors have revelled in the future potential of these economies, with their rapid pace of urbanisation and their burgeoning young populations. Whether you know it or not, investing in the future of emerging markets is a form of [...]
John Bennett explains why Europe is back in vogue: Stock markets are on form and euro weakness could provide an extra boost April 23, 2015 The Eurozone has lurched from crisis to crisis over the past five years. Despite the best efforts of the European Central Bank (ECB), the region has remained largely unresponsive to resuscitation attempts, and is still on life support. Deflation, non-existent economic growth, and ongoing battles with Greece – the prognosis does not look good. But [...]