Easyjet and Marks and Spencer candidates for relegation in FTSE reshuffle June 2, 2019 Easyjet looks set to be the next company to fall out of the FTSE 100, with several others, including Marks and Spencer, nervously eyeing the drop ahead of the blue chip list’s reshuffle on Wednesday. The budget carrier has faced a turbulent time, which has pushed shares down 22 per cent in the last six [...]
Three reasons why the UK stock market looks compelling May 31, 2019 Whatever the opposite of a sweet spot is, many investors think UK equities are currently in one. With Brexit still unresolved, some have put the market in the “too difficult” basket. While it is understandable to fear uncertainty, as stock pickers we embrace the mis-priced opportunities created by it. The global nature of the market [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Back Spencer to Jaz things up for O’Keefe in handicap May 30, 2019 EPSOM handicaps are notoriously difficult puzzles to solve and today’s Investec Wealth & Investment Handicap (3.45pm) is no different. Roger Varian has landed two of the last five renewals and his Mountain Angel is bound to be popular having won over course and distance back in April. He is respected but is now up to [...]
M&S looks set to survive FTSE 100 drop amid £600m rights issue May 29, 2019 Marks & Spencer looks set to remain in the FTSE 100 through the skin of its teeth in next week’s reshuffle after launching a £600m rights issue to fund its joint venture with Ocado. City speculation that the department store chain could drop out of the blue-chip index has mounted after it reported a 10 [...]
Marks & Spencer pension scheme transfers £1.4bn to two insurers May 23, 2019 Troubled retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has transferred £1.4bn in pension scheme liabilities to two insurance companies, bringing the total insurance coverage to two thirds. Phoenix Group has insured £460m of liabilities, covering 5,000 pensioners, while Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) has insured £900m of the £10bn pension scheme. Read more: M&S braced for fresh decline [...]
Theresa May drops plan to publish new Brexit deal as she holds crunch talks with Cabinet ministers May 23, 2019 Theresa May has ducked publishing the derided new version of her Brexit deal as she desperately tries to hold her Cabinet together. The Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which contained a controversial pledge to offer MPs a vote on another referendum, was due to be published on Friday and voted on in the Commons in the first [...]
B&M to open 50 UK stores this year despite retail doom and gloom May 23, 2019 Discount retailer B&M said today it plans to open 50 shops this year, despite the wider gloom in the UK retail sector. B&M grew revenue 17 per cent to £3.4bn and profit before tax 8.7 per cent to £249.4m in the 52 weeks to 30 March. The company said it opened 44 new stores in the financial [...]
Hedge funds ramp up bets against Jupiter Fund Management May 22, 2019 Hedge funds have increased their bets against Jupiter Fund Management making it one of the most shorted UK companies. The asset manager’s shorted stock has increased to 10.55 per cent, more than that of struggling firms such as AA and Marks & Spencer, from 7.37 per cent at the beginning of April. Read more: Jupiter assets [...]
Four key things we learned from Marks & Spencer’s results May 22, 2019 There were not expectations of a strong set of results from Marks & Spencer today. The profit drop was expected and profit before tax of £532m was actually in the higher end of the forecast range. However, a share price decline of four per cent shows that these were still a disappointing set of results for investors. [...]
Marks & Spencer shares fall as profits decimated amid restructuring efforts May 22, 2019 Profit before tax at retailer Marks & Spencer fell nearly ten per cent in the last financial year, it said today as it announced plans to close 85 stores. The figures M&S said profit before tax for the year to 31 March was £532.2m, down 9.9 per cent from £580.9m the previous year. Revenue fell [...]