AN AWKWARD MOMENT AS BANK CHIEFS RETURN TO PARLIAMENT October 11, 2011 BRITAIN’S bank chiefs were lucky enough to be called before another parliamentary committee today, following several outings already this year. Seated in the stuffy House of Lords hearing room, banking maestros were put through their paces on topics ranging from capital buffers to some “curious nexuses” that HSBC chair Douglas Flint wanted to discuss. Is [...]
N Brown sees profits lift as it thinks big October 11, 2011 HOME shopping clothes retailer N Brown yesterday reported a half year profits rise as its investment in brands for larger men and women paid off. In the half-year to August, sales were up four per cent to £364m, with profits surging six per cent to £45m. The Manchester-based company lifted its dividend five per cent [...]
FTSE breaks winning streak on worries over Euro bailout October 11, 2011 THE FTSE 100 share index snapped a four-day winning streak yesterday, as worries over Europe’s debt problems and the impact on the global economic recovery prompted investors to bank some of the recent gains made in commodity and financial stocks. The index closed down 3.3 points, or 0.1 per cent at 5,395.70, but recovered from [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 10, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES TOUGH CARE HOME REGULATIONS PROPOSED The government is considering a series of tough regulations for residential care homes following the collapse this year of Southern Cross, the UK’s biggest home operator. The measures, outlined yesterday for consultation, include requiring companies to post capital upfront as a condition of their licence, and giving councils [...]
Shopping channel QVC unveils first high street shop as turnover shines October 10, 2011 QVC, one of the world’s biggest shopping channels, will launch its first pop-up shop on the British high street today. The temporary Diamonique store – selling QVC’s own range of imitation diamonds – is opening in Hatton Garden today with prices ranging from £21 to £743. The new retail offering comes as the company announced [...]
A week full of stock results: what to watch October 10, 2011 TO say we live in interesting economic times would be an understatement. Confidence is low and money is tight. And retail stocks often show investor nerves more prominently than other markets. But it isn’t all bad news: volatility in the market can serve to make the life of the spread better more exciting. So with [...]
Legal industry shake up is a business opportunity October 9, 2011 THE Legal Services Act has just come into force and it threatens to decimate high street legal firms. For years, in legal seminars across England and Wales, high street lawyers have been crying out against it. The new law hopes to create competition, but many have warned it could squeeze out smaller firms who lack [...]
Jobs data boosts FTSE but US markets falter October 7, 2011 London stocks have closed slightly higher after better-than-expected US jobs figures prompted an afternoon rally, but US markets remain down after fresh downgrades of Spain and Italy. The FTSE 100 index spiked sharply when US figures showed 103,000 new jobs created, and while it gave up most of the gains it still closed up 0.2 [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS October 6, 2011 Signia Wealth Shalini Khemka has been appointed as a managing director to develop the wealth manager’s private equity arm and expand the business overseas. Khemka will continue as CEO and director of The London Entrepreneurial Exchange, which she co-founded in 2010 while working as an investment banker at LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds [...]
SuperGroup in £9m profit warning hit October 5, 2011 SUPERGROUP yesterday shocked the City by revealing that its full-year profits will be hit by up to £9m after a supply problem at a key warehouse. The company, best known for its Superdry brand, saw its shares dive almost 30 per cent after the announcement. It said there had not been enough stock in its [...]