BoE keeps rates steady and dampens expectations of imminent change March 18, 2021 The Bank of England has held interest rates at 0.1 per cent and its bond-buying programme at £895bn, thereby diminishing expectations of changes in the immediate future, with the next announcement not until 6 May. The BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep rates at record-low levels. Analysts expected today’s decisions to be [...]
FTSE 100 creeps up as surging pound dents exporters February 24, 2021 The FTSE 100 crept back into the black today as the index’s exporters were hit by the pound rising to its highest levels since 2018. Having opened down 0.6 per cent at 6,599 points, London’s premier index was up 0.3 per cent at 6,643 points just after midday. The slight rise came as sterling neared [...]
Dettol-maker reaps benefits of hygiene kick as revenue soars February 24, 2021 Reckitt Benckiser has emerged strongly from the pandemic with like-for-like revenue leaping 11.8 per cent to £14bn in 2020 compared to the previous year. Full year operating profit hit more than £2.1bn compared to a loss of almost £2bn in 2019. The consumer-goods company, which owns Dettol, Harpic and Calgon, reported a 19.5 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 dips as UK inflation records surprise jump February 17, 2021 The FTSE 100 opened down this morning as the latest data showed UK inflation rose more than expected last month. The blue chip index suffered a 0.46 per cent dip this morning following the surprise 0.7 per cent jump in inflation. The biggest fallers were consumer goods giants Reckitt Benckiser, with a 1.56 per cent [...]
Clean slate: Dettol-maker Reckitt Benckiser withdraws $1.4bn claim against Indivior January 25, 2021 Reckitt Benckiser will withdraw a $1.4bn claim against Indivior, which in turn will pay the Dettol-maker $50m to end the legal battle related to a US probe into opioid addition. The settlement, which will be paid over five years, offers some respite to the London-listed drugmaker, which was once owned by Reckitt. Reckitt and [...]
FTSE falls into the red as Brexit deal wait continues December 24, 2020 The FTSE 100 has fallen into the red as mid morning passes and the UK waits to hear if it has secured a deal with the European Union. At just past 11am London’s main market dropped 0.44 per cent after initially opening on the up. The market opened up 66 per cent this morning, following [...]
Carlyle invests $250m in third-party reseller Pharmapacks November 12, 2020 Private equity giant Carlyle has invested $250m in US e-commerce firm Pharmapacks, one of Amazon’s largest third-party resellers. Launched initially as a pharmacy shop in 2010, Pharmapacks has grown into an online retailer focused on health, personal care and beauty products. The investment, which values Pharmapacks at approximately $1.1bn, came from Carlyle Partners VII, a [...]
FTSE 100 closes higher after upbeat UK earnings October 20, 2020 The FTSE 100 recovered from an early fall to close in the green after a day of positive quarterly earnings, although residual fears over coronavirus and new restrictions remain. London’s blue-chip index fell 0.3 per cent but crept back through the day to close up by the same margin at 5,899 points. The FTSE 250 [...]
Dettol maker Reckitt Benckiser boosts sales on UK hygiene kick during pandemic October 20, 2020 Dettol maker Reckitt Benckiser has continued to flourish throughout the pandemic, as the company today reported a 20 per cent hike in cleaning product sales during the third quarter. The FTSE 100 company, which also owns brands such as Nurofen, Cillit Bang and Durex, reported a 13 per cent jump in overall sales between July [...]
Anything to declare? The ‘S’ of ESG makes its move September 25, 2020 The central component of the increasingly prominent ‘ESG’ – the ‘S’ – is typically neglected in discussions about environmental, social and governance (ESG) data and non-financial disclosure. But developments such as the Boohoo garment workers controversy and Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the trends such as gender pay-gap reporting – not to mention [...]