Marks & Spencer share price falls as retailer records 14th consecutive quarter of clothing woes January 8, 2015 Marks & Spencer's share price fell more than 2.2 per cent in early trading, after the struggling retailer revealed below-expectations results. Online delivery delays and "unseasonal conditions" proved to be a nightmare before Christmas for Marks & Spencer, as general merchandise sales slumped for the 14th consecutive quarter. Like-for-like sales in general merchandise – which [...]
FTSE rebounds on expectations of European QE – London Report January 7, 2015 Britain’s top equity index gained nearly one per cent yesterday, rebounding from a three-week low as Eurozone consumer price data raised expectations of new stimulus from the European Central Bank. The blue chip FTSE 100 index, which had fallen in the last three sessions and hit its lowest since mid-December on Tuesday, finished 53.32 points, [...]
Peppa Pig maker Entertainment One splashes cash on US deal as finance boss Giles Willits talks expansion plans January 6, 2015 Giles Willits is sitting in the boardroom of Entertainment One’s offices in west London with a family of Peppa Pig cuddly toys gazing up at him. The British TV phenomenon – Peppa Pig, that is – is one of the production group’s most successful exports. But today pigs are forgotten and the group’s jolly finance [...]
Who does the best New year detox lunch? From Leon’s super-healthy vegan quinoa pot to Pod’s “joyless” chicken box January 6, 2015 It’s January again, and your favourite City eateries are flogging super-healthy lunches. We tried them all so you don’t have to… Vital Ingredient Immunity Booster Vital Ingredient Immunity Booster £6.25 Chicken, beetroot, sweetcorn, pomegranate, spinach. Carrot and apple dressing HEALTHINESS: ★★★★☆ TASTINESS: ★☆☆☆☆ Dishes like these give detoxing a bad name. Weird [...]
Best of the Brokers for 06 January 2015 January 5, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com HIKMA PHARMACEUTICALS Jefferies has upgraded its rating to “buy” from “hold”, and said that, while fundamentals appear robust for the mid-term, “regulatory bottlenecks appear to be the biggest risk factor to growth”. The broker stated that it expects Hikma “to be a momentum [...]
Fears over Greek election and oil prices hit FTSE – London Report January 5, 2015 AFALL in major energy stocks and worries over the political outlook in Greece knocked down Britain’s top equity index yesterday. The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed down two per cent at 6,417.16 points. The index also retreated 0.3 per cent on Friday, after falling 2.7 per cent in 2014. Weaker energy stocks, including BP and Royal [...]
M&S share price suffers after downgrade ahead of third quarter results January 5, 2015 Marks & Spencer shares fell over three per cent in mid-afternoon trading after a downgrade by investment bank Societe Generale and as it prepares to report third quarter sales figures later this week. The British retailer started the new year on the back foot after analysts at Societe Generale took the stock rating from "buy" to [...]
The 100 City people you need to follow on Twitter this year, day one: Entrepreneurs January 5, 2015 It's the beginning of 2015, so it's time to give your Twitter account a revamp: out with that Cheryl Cole spoof account, in with people who can give you the knowledge to get ahead in your career. Over the next five days, we'll be giving you the best and brightest City types to follow, from [...]
Retailers’ woes in focus after a festive slump – London week ahead January 4, 2015 RETAILERS’ woes will be centre stage this week as J Sainsbury, Tesco, WM Morrison and Marks & Spencer update the market after what is expected to have been a relative slump in trading over the festive season. Tesco’s trading announcement on Thursday will be of particular interest, as new chief executive Dave Lewis will outline [...]
From Quindell and Gotham City to Uber and the LDTA – five of the biggest business battles to watch out for in 2015 December 22, 2014 Rival camps have banded together, the lines are drawn, battle armour is on and adrenaline is running high. All that's left for spectators to do is grab some popcorn and watch from the ringside. From rival estate agents, to a business targeted by a Batman styled US fund and an influx of tiny new banks [...]