Ten of the top givers in the City December 21, 2011 AS we now know from the tremendous response to this newspaper’s first ever Christmas charity appeal, the City is full of givers. Despite the tougher times many of our readers have experienced, as a group this year they dug in to support a charity that helps people help themselves. This page is a tribute to [...]
FTSE climbs on US data November 29, 2011 BRITAIN’S blue chip index rose yesterday, building on two straight sessions of gains as strong consumer confidence data from the United States offset renewed concerns about the Eurozone debt crisis. The FTSE 100 added 24.24 points, or 0.5 per cent, to close at 5,337 after turning higher in the afternoon, when data showed US consumer [...]
Reckitt fined £20m for price fix November 23, 2011 British consumer goods maker Reckitt Benckiser has been fined €24m (£20m) by the German cartel office for fixing prices on laundry and dishwashing products with German rival Henkel. The German cartel office said Henkel escaped a fine after acting as a whistle-blower and instigating the investigation in 2010. “The two companies coordinated price rises for [...]
FTSE lower as Eurozone business activity slows November 23, 2011 Investors remained hesitant today as grim new data on private sector activity around the world raised fresh fears of a recession in Europe at the end of this year. Asian markets closed lower after purchasing managers’ index data from China saw activity slump to the lowest level in more than two and a half years, [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS November 14, 2011 BTG The specialist healthcare company has appointed Garry Watts to succeed Dr John Brown as non-executive chairman, effective from 1 January 2012. Watts is chairman of the Spire Healthcare group of private hospitals, a senior independent director at Stagecoach Group and a non-executive director of Coca-Cola Enterprises. He was chief executive of SSL International for [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS October 26, 2011 RECKITT BENCKISER Citi rates the household goods maker “buy” with a target price of £40. The broker has cut its forecasts for the firm to reflect higher than expected Medicaid rebates, offsetting expected rises in organic growth. However, Citi continues to see the valuations for the firm as compelling, with the stock currently trading on [...]
Reckitt boosted by emerging markets October 25, 2011 CONSUMER goods giant Reckitt Benckiser yesterday reported a rise in profits fuelled by its performance in emerging markets, but warned that it faces obstacles to growth. Reckitt, whose brands include Cillit Bang and Nurofen, said it was well positioned to achieve its 2011 targets of a 12 per cent rise in net revenue and a [...]
Reckitt earnings rise October 25, 2011 British consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser cautioned of slower growth ahead due to a number of one-off effects as the company matched forecasts with a nine per cent rise in third-quarter earnings. The maker of Cillit Bang cleaners and Nurofen painkillers said growth will slow as it laps an acquisition made late last year and [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD October 23, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● Tomorrow, BG and BP announce third-quarter results. The tide might just be turning for BP – its run of bad news is dissipating somewhat on the news of new North Sea investments. Royal Dutch Shell announces on Thursday. ● Reckitt Benckiser announces tomorrow. The world’s largest producer of household products, which is [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS September 26, 2011 RECKITT BENCKISER ING rates the consumer goods group “buy” with a target price of £40.55. The broker sees Reckitt as one of its top picks in the fast moving consumer goods sector, with expected growth in developing markets set to more than make up for stagnant performance in Europe. ING also notes that the firm [...]