Sales at Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s all drop for the first time in a year May 4, 2016 The supermarket sector has suffered yet another setback, with sales at all of the Big Four declining in the last quarter, while – you guessed it – Aldi and Lidl posted double-digit growth. Asda was the poorest performer of the biggest supermarkets, with sales dropping 5.1 per cent according to Kantar Worldpanel, followed by Morrisons, which dropped 2.6 per cent. Sales at Tesco [...]
Week ahead: Data and results set to keep UK investors busy as PMIs and supermarket results come thick and fast May 3, 2016 First quarter earnings season as well as a constant flow of economic data is set to keep investors busy all this week. The FTSE is coming off the back of a disappointing session after it closed down 80.51 points at 6241.89 on Friday following underwhelming results from some of the UK’s top banks. This week that [...]
Mobile working, flexible working, cloud-based working … is any of it actually working? April 29, 2016 Technology’s influence over the business world has caused an undeniable shift in the way modern professionals conducts their working lives. Cloud-based servers and remote desktop software has meant that employees can work efficiently from pretty much anywhere. So, many ask, can the physical office survive in the digital age? Perhaps unsurprisingly, I believe the office [...]
Amazon’s share price soars after posting better than expected results April 28, 2016 Amazon's share price has soared after it reported better than expected first quarter results. Shares in the company rose over 12 per cent in after hours trading after posting strong results, a quarter after having been pounded after profit missed the mark. The e-commerce giant reported net income was $513m in the first quarter, or $1.07 per diluted share, [...]
Procter & Gamble beats expectations but warns over its fourth quarter sending the share price lower April 26, 2016 Procter & Gamble shares dropped in early trading in New York after the company announced third-quarter earnings above estimates, but warned its results in the fourth quarter will be worse than last year. The global consumer goods company, which makes everything from shampoo to toilet paper, said profits rose to $2.75bn (£1.88bn), or 97 cents per share, up from $2.15bn, or 75 [...]
Former Marks & Spencer boss Marc Bolland tipped to take up director role at British Airways owner IAG April 25, 2016 Marks & Spencer's former chief executive Marc Bolland is tipped to be named as a non-executive director of International Airlines Group (IAG), the owner of British Airways. An announcement about his appointment could be made as soon as this Friday, Sky News has reported, when IAG unveils its first-quarter results, according to headhunting industry sources. It [...]
Brent crude and WTI: Oil hits fresh 2016 high on smaller-than-expected US crude stockpiles April 20, 2016 Oil prices hit a fresh 2016 high today, after smaller-than-expected US crude stockpiles quelled oversupply fears sparked by an earlier estimate. Analysts, traders and commentators are keeping a close eye on oil data out of the US for signs that the market is starting to rebalance, with inventories being drawn down as shale gas producers are forced [...]
Danny Willett Effect in evidence as Andrew Johnston leads English charge in wake of Masters with Spanish Open victory April 18, 2016 Nothing breeds success quite like success, and it is no coincidence that two Englishmen challenged for the week’s main titles on both sides of the Atlantic just days after Danny Willett’s Masters victory. Seeing a contemporary like Willett, 28, winning at Augusta last week, the likes of Andrew Johnston, just one year his junior, will [...]
City Moves for 18 April 2016 | Who’s switching jobs April 18, 2016 Arbuthnot Banking Group Arbuthnot Banking Group (ABG) has appointed Ian Arthur Henderson as chief executive at Arbuthnot Latham. Ian will also be joining the ABG Board from 6 May. He joins the company from Secure Trust, where he was head of strategic business development and chief executive of personal lending and mortgages. He was previously [...]
At the close: FTSE pushed higher by banks and miners, as Tesco and Premier Foods fall April 13, 2016 Banks and miners moved the FTSE 100 higher today as data from China reassured investors over growth in the world’s second largest economy, adding more than 100 points to the index’s rise. The FTSE 100 ended the day at its highest for four months at 6,362.89 points, up 120.50 points, or 1.9 per cent. Tesco shed [...]