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 [...]
FTSE 100 close: London’s premier index ends week lower after US jobs report July 7, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 closed the week lower as global markets grew increasingly nervous about the extent of interest rate rises still to come. The FTSE 100 closed 0.37 per cent lower at 7,253.43 while the domestically focused FTSE 250 performed more strongly, rising 0.54 per cent to 18,012.46. Investors were digesting the latest jobs data [...]
FTSE 100 close: London markets end week higher after boost from US GDP June 30, 2023 London markets closed the week higher on Friday after revised US growth figures showed the world’s largest economy was performing better than expected. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index rose 0.91 per cent to 7,538.36 while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 0.90 per cent to 18,434.23. Investors were buoyed by stronger than expected growth in [...]
Mark Kleinman on banks, Ocado and London’s IPO market June 29, 2023 Mark Kleinman is City editor at Sky News Politics could push ministers to punish banks This is a cost of living crisis, not a banking crisis: if I had a fiver for every time a senior bank executive had said that to me over the last 18 months, I’d never need another mortgage of my [...]
FTSE 100 close: Tumbling pound boosts London index as Ocado slides June 28, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 sprang higher today, aided by the pound clocking a dreadful day. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.52 per cent to 7,500.50 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, leapt 1.98 per cent to 18,412.81 points. Early advances in the City [...]