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 [...]
Five key barometers that every trader of CFDs should monitor May 30, 2011 WHATEVER you plan to trade, David Morrison, CFD market strategist for GFT, suggests these five indicators to help gauge market conditions. 1. DOLLAR INDEX Since 1973, this index has tracked the strength of the dollar against a basket of other major currencies, including sterling, yen and the Swiss franc. Benchmarked initially at 100, it has [...]
Tesco market share rises as Asda sees dip May 24, 2011 TESCO’S market share rose for the first time since November last year, according to Kantar Worldpanel market share data. For the 12 weeks to 15 May Tesco’s market share rose to 30.7 per cent, from 30.6 per cent. The only other retailer in the top four to increase its share was fourth-placed Morrisons. Its share [...]
THE TALE OF PIPPA MIDDLETON, ALEX LOUDON AND THE BEERMAKER May 23, 2011 COULD Pippa Middleton be persuaded to relocate to leafy Woking? The Capitalist only asks because a finance professional with the same name as her boyfriend and rumoured fiancé, Alex Loudon, is currently employed by the Woking UK head office of brewing giant SABMiller. Recent press reports have described the younger Middleton sister’s love interest as [...]
Profit strong at Campbell Soup despite sales slump May 23, 2011 CAMPBELL Soup yesterday reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and forecast full-year results at the high end of its range, after moving its focus from profit-sapping promotions to advertisements. But the world’s top soup maker saw US sales fall for the fourth straight quarter, a sign that it may take some time for operations chief Denise [...]