Santander in £426m profit April 29, 2010 SANTANDER, the eurozone’s largest bank, grew its UK profits by more than 15 per cent in the first quarter as it bit off a greater market share in mortgage lending. The Spanish giant yesterday said trading profits were £426m in the three months to March. In a challenge to Britain’s high street players, Santander expanded [...]
Volcanic ash cost Heathrow and Stansted £28m in losses April 29, 2010 AIRPORTS operator BAA took a £28m one-off hit from the six-day flight disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano. The group, which owns six airports in the UK including Heathrow and Stansted, said despite the impact of the volcanic ash, which forced them to close both London airports, it remained financially resilient. First quarter figures for [...]
Hammerson says property market fragile April 29, 2010 ANGLO-FRENCH property investor Hammerson remains cautious about the outlook for the retail and commercial property markets, due to the weak economic recovery. “The economic recovery in our markets remains fragile, and uncertainties remain, not least regarding the level of unemployment and the prospect of further tax rises,” the company said yesterday . In the UK, [...]
Boots tops reputation poll as banks languish April 28, 2010 Alliance Boots knocked Marks & Spencer off the top spot, in a survey of company reputation. The Reputation Institute’s UK Pulse Report 2010 ranked retail brands highly but the list of 140 firms made torrid reading for the finance industry. Royal Bank of Scotland languished at 138, with Lloyds at 136 and Barclays at 129. [...]
New volatility products help investors to hedge April 28, 2010 EUROPE’s sovereign debt crisis has gained momentum this week after Greece’s debt was downgraded to junk status. Similar to the financial shock in 2008, this has rocked global stock indices and volatility has spiked higher in recent days. Volatility indices, such as the Vix in the US and VSTOXX in Europe, measure the “fear” in [...]
Rich List shows huge swing back to wealth April 25, 2010 THE RICHEST people in the country saw an astonishing reversal in fortunes this year as their collective wealth rocketed more than £77bn. The annual Rich List compiled by the Sunday Times shows the super-wealthy managed to more than claw back losses made during the dark depths of the global recession. The wealth of the 1,000 [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 21, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES FIAT TO SPIN OFF NON-CAR DIVISIONS Fiat is to demerge its non-automotive divisions from its core carmaking business in a watershed moment for the 111-year-old Italian industrial group. The spin-off will see Fiat’s Iveco trucks, Case New Holland farming and construction equipment, and industrial and marine engines divisions split off from its Fiat, [...]
Our panel: surge in support for Nick Clegg is here to stay April 21, 2010 THERE has been a significant increase in support for the Liberal Democrats on our panel of City workers. The City A.M./PHI Panel, which has been specially recruited with PoliticsHome.com to represent a cross-section of London’s financial and business community, were asked if they were likely to vote Lib Dem. Almost a third of panellists said [...]
Know how to value your ETF April 21, 2010 WHEN placing a trade, investors understandably concentrate on making the decision that will yield the most profitable returns. But it is just as important for traders to understand how they are investing as well as what they are investing in. This is particularly relevant for investors using exchange-traded funds (ETFs) – knowing how an ETF [...]
Primark and recovery boost AB Food outlook April 20, 2010 PRIMARK owner Associated British Foods said the global recovery was underway, prompting it to predict a “very good” rise in annual earnings after beating forecasts with half-year profits up 20 per cent. The London-based food and retail group reported strong momentum in many of its businesses around the world and even Britain showed signs of [...]