FTSE sees banks up as Greece is saved March 2, 2012 The FTSE 100 was flat this morning and the only significant gainers were banks buoyed by further steps towards saving Greece from the financial abyss. In Wall Street and in Asia nudged up overnight as the European Central Bank’s fresh liquidity injection this week served to warm up investor sentiment. The spotlight is on the [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS February 27, 2012 HAMMERSON Deutsche Bank has maintained its “buy” rating on the property group and raised its target price by 20p to 520p after consensus-beating results from the company last week. The broker estimates that Hammerson will deliver its planned dividend increase in 2012, and increases its earnings per share outlook for 2012 and 2013. It does [...]
FTSE slips as oil price fears take toll February 27, 2012 THE FTSE edged down in early trading as surging oil prices cast a shadow over global growth and a G20 meeting failed to provide reassurance about international help to crisis-struck Europe. Rising tensions between Iran and the West are triggering rapid oil price rises as supply fears grow. Brent Crude marginally dropped in price this [...]
Stuart Rose says fury at jobless scheme is baffling February 26, 2012 THE FORMER executive chairman of Marks & Spencer has voiced disdain at the businesses withdrawing from the government’s unpaid work experience scheme for jobless people. Sir Stuart Rose told Dermot Murnaghan, “One or two of them have shown a little less than backbone.” Calling the outrage provoked by the scheme “baffling”, Sir Stuart said: “We’ve [...]
Weir stock is most shorted on FTSE 100 February 15, 2012 ENGINEERING firm Weir has become the most shorted stock on the FTSE 100, as investors bet the company’s share price will be dented by weak demand for specialist mining equipment. Information provided by Data Explorers showed that 13.48 per cent of shares are out on loan – double the amount that were shorted only three [...]
Moody’s UK warning hits FTSE 100 February 14, 2012 The FTSE dipped this morning after debt rating agency Moody’s warned it could downgrade top-rated sovereigns including Britain. Moody’s grim assessment sapped some of the confidence of investors who had been encouraged by Greece finally agreeing a package of austerity measures to steer it away from a default. The move put the UK’s rating in [...]
Miners buoy FTSE as Greece remains on knife edge February 8, 2012 The FTSE 100 opened on the front foot this morning as investors continued to cling onto hopes that Greece could be steered away from financial meltdown. Greek party leaders were set to meet again today to hammer out a reform deal in return for the new €130bn rescue from the IMF and EU. Leaders of [...]
Webster to step down as IHG chairman February 5, 2012 DAVID Webster, the long-standing chairman of Intercontinental Hotels Group, is to stand down after eight years at the helm of the world’s largest hotel group. A source close to Webster said that no date had been set yet for his departure, but that he is likely to leave later this year. The owner of Holiday [...]
Retail sales up 0.6pc in December January 20, 2012 UK retail sales volumes rose by 0.6 per cent in December, official figures show, after heavy discounting by stores. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also said that sales rose by 2.6 per cent over the year to December. The sales figure for November was revised down to show a fall of 0.5 per cent, [...]
Amazon is catching up to Britain’s top brand January 17, 2012 GOOGLE, Amazon and Marks & Spencer’s remain the healthiest brands in the UK in the eyes of consumers for the third year running, according to the annual YouGov BrandIndex league table of brands. They lead the way on the Index score, which is a composite of consumers’ perception of brands terms of quality, value, customer [...]