FTSE 100 close: London markets finish higher but investors cautious before BoE rate hike July 31, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 closed slightly higher this afternoon, after a tempered start to a week in which the Bank of England is expected to hike interest rates to their highest level since 2008. The capital’s premier index kicked off down 0.26 per cent, before bouncing back by close to 0.17 per cent on stronger than [...]
Ocado Solutions: Grocery giant’s tech solutions division chief is retiring July 27, 2023 The chief of Ocado’s technology solutions division will retire in September, leaving a new man at the top of the occasionally embattled firm’s most vital division. Luke Jensen will quit the role of executive director and CEO of Ocado Solutions, with John Martin, currently a non-executive director, made the new chief executive. This comes as [...]
FTSE 100 close: Soft Lloyds Bank results spark sell off as Natwest tumbles after Alison Rose exit July 26, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged down today by investors ditching shares in Britain’s biggest banks after Lloyds posted a soggy set of results that dampened market sentiment. The capital’s premier index fell 0.19 per cent to 7,676.88 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK [...]
FTSE 100 close: Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds retrace losses as Ocado soars July 24, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 retraced early losses today to close in the black, driven higher by online supermarket Ocado surging after it settled a dispute over its warehouse technology. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.19 per cent to 7,678.60 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the [...]
Andy Silvester on market optimism, US wages and a real-life summer thriller July 20, 2023 Bulls are not regularly seen on the streets of the Square Mile, especially recently. It has been all too easy on my recent travels to find people casting their eyes downward when asked about the City’s prospects, as if the irritatingly grey July skies are dimming optimism before the summer holidays. What’s interesting is that [...]
FTSE 100 close: Ocado drags London index into black as markets brace for inflation data July 18, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 squeezed out gains today that have pushed it back into the black in 2023, propped up by shares in online grocer Ocado soaring after a decent set of results. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.64 per cent to 7,453.68 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with [...]
Ocado losses widen: Share price rises as retail arm shows signs of improvement July 18, 2023 Pre-tax losses at Ocado have widened to £289m in the first half of the year, as the grocery firm’s share price was up over 14 per cent this morning. The supermarket technology business said its retail arm – which is a joint venture with M&S – grew five per cent to £1.17bn as it returned [...]
Investor Terry Smith ditches Amazon stake over concerns with grocery business July 11, 2023 Top investor Terry Smith has revealed that he ditched his fund’s stake in Amazon due to concerns with the company’s grocery business. In a letter to investors, released yesterday, Smith revealed that the primary catalyst behind Fundsmith’s decision to drop its holding in Amazon last month was due to a “concern over potential capital misallocation”. [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index muted as interest rate fears linger July 10, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 kicked off a new week just about in the green today as a reduction in UK debt costs gave the index a reprieve from a torrid time of late. The capital’s premier index edged 0.23 per cent higher to close at 7,273.80 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250, which tends to [...]
M&S looks to revamp Ocado Retail after chair warns there is ‘work to do’ July 10, 2023 M&S is looking to revamp its joint venture with Ocado as the high street stalwart grows frustrated with the firm’s poor performance, bringing the brands falling profits back to the forefront of investors’ minds. M&S chairman, Archie Norman, told investors at the firm’s AGM last week that there was “work to do” regarding the performance [...]