‘Bond market tantrum risks’: Gilt traders brace for Labour leftward pivot as Starmer future uncertain
Goldman Sachs: A host of medals might make up for Olympic costs July 11, 2012 HISTORICALLY, the financial reward of hosting the Olympics has been mixed: the 1972 Munich Olympics and the 1976 Montreal Olympics made significant losses, while the Games held in Los Angeles (1984), Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996) each made a profit. Moreover, if you fully account for all of the costs related to the hosting of [...]
FTSE tracks Wall Street losses July 11, 2012 The FTSE 100 fell in early trading tracking overnight losses on Wall Street as the US earnings season revealed corporate weaknesses. US stocks fell for a fourth day after a sales warning from engine maker Cummins came on top of earlier weak forecasts from chipmakers Applied Materials and Advanced Micro Devices. In London luxury retailer [...]
A retailer with a view: Long term partners in London’s 2012 Games July 10, 2012 COUNTDOWN TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES 16 DAYS TO GO Q What are your reasons for being involved with the Games? A The history of our involvement goes back years. We signed up to opening our new shop in Stratford before we even knew that London was successful. That decision was generated by our [...]
FTSE steadies after Alcoa results July 10, 2012 The FTSE 100 was flat today with aluminium giant Alcoa reporting positive results to start the US earnings season which helped steady investors’ nerves. Alcoa saw its quarterly revenue and profit beat Wall Street’s expectations even though prices for its aluminium are at nearly two-year lows. Meanwhile Eurozone finance ministers have agreed to lend Spain [...]
Consumers cool on buying replica kit July 9, 2012 YOU can buy plenty of all-weather gear from the JJB Sports website, but that didn’t help the retailer’s performance in May and June, which yesterday it partly put down to the dismal summer weather. With its shares falling off a cliff on the news, down almost 25 per cent over the day, markets clearly aren’t [...]
Leon banking on appetite of hungry savers July 8, 2012 HUNGRY investors in search of an investment in a falafel wrap may find solace in fast-food chain Leon’s new retail bond. Nicknamed the Leon bond, the three-year fixed-term corporate bond pays an annual coupon of between 10 to 15 per cent in £eon Pounds, depending on the amount invested, which can be redeemed at the [...]
MF Global’s bankruptcy highlights perilous faults in UK finance rules July 8, 2012 LESSONS have been learned” is today’s platitude of choice. It was used to account for the failings that led to the collapse of Lehman Brothers – an event that was meant to change everything. So it was with disbelief that I heard from a group of MF Global clients. MF Global was a derivatives broker [...]
St Modwen says net asset value lifted by housebuilder demand July 3, 2012 REGENERATION SPECIALIST St Modwen yesterday said that a strong appetite for new homes, particularly in London and the South East, helped lift its net asset value (NAV) in the first half of the year. Chief executive Bill Oliver said despite the on-going challenges in the economy it had delivered “a strong set of first half [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 2, 2012 Kingfisher Karen Witts will join the home retailer’s board as finance director in October. She is currently finance chief for Africa, Middle East, Asia and Asia Pacific at Vodafone, and is also a non-executive director of Wolseley. Witts worked at BT Group for more than 10 years, most recently as finance head for BT Retail. [...]
Barclays stabilises as value investors return July 2, 2012 AS Barclays’ shares bounced back yesterday, this served as an important reminder to retail traders that the markets are not rational and it is easy to get your fingers burned. Anybody set up to take a short position on the FTSE open would have been hurt as the bank went on to be one of [...]