FTSE steady as investors eye US jobs data January 6, 2012 The FTSE 100 was steady in early trading with media and telecoms gains offsetting weak financial services and retail sectors. Investors were focusing on US jobs data out later while the Eurozone debt crisis continued to dampen sentiment. Analysts’ fears that Eurozone countries and banks could struggle to tap markets for capital this year continue [...]
Fresh nerves over euro debt put dampers on FTSE index January 5, 2012 BRITAIN’S blue-chip share index closed lower yesterday on growing fears that Eurozone countries and banks could struggle to tap markets this year. The FTSE 100 dropped 44.19 points, or 0.8 per cent, to close at 5,624.26, in tandem with most European indexes and the euro currency, after a French debt auction, though oversubscribed, failed to [...]
Test your wits with our quiz December 22, 2011 1. In a Which? magazine blind taste test of champagnes by experienced champagne tasters, Moet & Chandon’s Brut NV, priced at £30.99, received a score of 74%. But which of the following champagnes received the highest score of 85%? a. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut NV (£34.49) b. Lanson Black Label (£31.99) c. Morrisons Brut [...]
Value is key for the grocers December 20, 2011 LAST week I looked at how the major UK banks performed on YouGov’s BrandIndex in 2011, and this week I’m turning my attention to how the supermarkets fared over the same year. An interesting starting point is to take the Index Score (which is a composite of six key attribute measures). We see that all [...]
Delivery pioneer lacks capacity to grow December 19, 2011 EIGHTEEN months post float, and those distinctive delivery vans just aren’t looking so special anymore. Yesterday’s profit warning from chief executive Tim Steiner may have been expected at some point, but analysts clearly thought the company had some breathing room – now it’s going to be more under scrutiny than ever. And it’s not as [...]
Morrisons to create 7,000 new jobs as it opens branches and warehouses December 14, 2011 WM MORRISON Supermarkets said it will create over 7,000 new jobs next yet, as it opens 25 new stores and develops its manufacturing and logistics operations. Britain’s fourth largest grocer behind J Sainsbury, Asda and market leader Tesco said many of the new jobs created next year will be skilled positions such as butchery, bakery [...]
New listing rules and jitters over Europe pull FTSE down December 14, 2011 WEAKNESS in risk-sensitive commodity issues and banks dragged Britain’s FTSE 100 index lower yesterday, with concerns over the Eurozone debt crisis ratcheted up as Italy’s borrowing costs expanded to a record high. Italy had to pay 6.47 per cent on five-year bonds in an auction yesterday, up from a previous euro era record high of [...]
Morrisons to create 7,000 jobs December 14, 2011 Britain’s fourth largest grocer Wm Morrison Supermarkets said it will create over 7,000 new jobs in 2012, as it opens 25 new stores and develops its manufacturing and logistics operations. The firm, which created about 6,000 jobs this year, said on Wednesday that many of the new jobs created next year will be skilled positions [...]
OFT tobacco fines overturned December 12, 2011 Imperial Tobacco and several leading retailers have won a court battle to overturn record fines imposed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over allegations of unlawful pricing. A fine of £112.3m handed down to Imperial Tobacco last year was reversed, while Morrisons, Asda, Co-Op and Shell also had cases against them overturned by the [...]
Banks stocks fall as FSA calls for tighter regulation December 12, 2011 The FTSE 100 was pegged back by miners and banks in early trading as the Eurozone continued the struggle to dig itself out of the sovereign debt crisis Domestically the decision by the Government to shun a Eurozone agreement on closer fiscal ties was sinking in with cracks appearing in the coalition over the move. [...]