Heartening US data prompts market rally July 1, 2011 Financial stocks have powered ahead today after good economic news from the US and a reduction in concerns over Greece’s debt prompted a market rally. Lloyds, Barclays and RBS, the UK’s three biggest banks, have provided firepower to the FTSE 100, leaving it 0.7 per cent higher at the close, at 5,989.76 and bringing it [...]
Banks take FTSE 100 to its fifth straight day of gains… June 30, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares rose sharply yesterday after the Greek parliament passed a second austerity bill to secure emergency funds, with riskier assets such as oil stocks, banks and miners leading the charge higher. The FTSE 100 index closed up 89.76 points, or 1.5 per cent, at 5,945.71, its fifth consecutive day of gains, managing to [...]
Walker prepares a bid to take back Iceland June 27, 2011 ICELAND founder Malcolm Walker is negotiating with banks to secure the finance to buy back the frozen food retailer. Its current owner, the resolution committee of Landsbanki, needs to offload the budget chain. Walker is in negotiations with several banks, including Goldman Sachs, for a £1.5bn loan that would allow him to buy the 67 [...]
Fame And Glory for O’Brien June 16, 2011 Ballydoyle trainer celebrates Gold Cup and targets success at Longchamp THE AIDAN O’BRIEN trained Fame And Glory will head for the Arc De Triomphe in October full of confidence after landing a major gamble to take the Ascot Gold Cup on day three of the Royal meeting. The son of Montjeu was trimmed to 11/8 [...]
Investors ignore growth abroad to focus on UK woes June 14, 2011 MAYBE Tesco should move its primary listing to Hong Kong. Then investors might pay more attention to Asia, where sales grew by 11.4 per cent at constant exchange rates in the first quarter. The region accounted for around 17 per cent of sales and trading profit last year, a figure that will only grow. Or [...]
Iceland profits reach record high June 10, 2011 Frozen food giant Iceland’s profit soared by almost 15 per cent in the past year as cash-strapped shoppers felt the pressure from rising food prices, it reported. Net profit before tax rose 14.8 per cent to £155.5m in the year ending March 2011, compared with £135.4m in 2010, in what Iceland described as a record [...]
Sir Stuart Rose got an £8.1m golden goodbye June 9, 2011 SIR Stuart Rose was handed an £8.1m golden goodbye when he left Marks & Spencer last year, according to the retailer’s annual report. The former chief executive and executive chairman received a pay packet worth £2.77m in 2010-11, compared to £2.6m a year earlier, plus over £5m in shares. Marc Bolland, who became chief executive [...]
Mining shares rebound and oil stocks rise on supply fears June 9, 2011 MINERS rebounded from the previous day’s sharp sell-off to help push Britain’s top share index higher yesterday, while oil stocks tracked crude higher on supply fears. The FTSE 100 closed up 47.45 points, or 0.8 per cent, at 5,856.34, having bounced well clear of the session low of 5,795.00, although thin volumes exaggerated the index’s [...]
PARK LIFE: TEAM ABU DHABI RAISE THEIR GAME TO WIN MINT POLO June 6, 2011 TEAM Abu Dhabi are this year’s winners of the MINT Polo in the Park tournament at Hurlingham Park, after a fast-paced final against Gaucho Team Buenos Aires. Abu Dhabi took an early lead in the three-day event, starting with Friday’s match against defending champions City A.M. Team New York, where Piki Diaz Alberdi, Mohammed Al [...]
Easterby duo are the best bets in Investec ‘Dash’ June 3, 2011 THE Investec Entrepreneurial Class ‘Dash’ (3.15pm) is widely regarded as the quickest five furlong sprint anywhere in the world. You need a horse that can break quickly, hold its position on the downhill run and then power clear entering the final half furlong. However, there aren’t many other contests where the draw can have more [...]