FTSE 100 Live: Stocks to fall as Hormuz strikes revive security threat; Asian markets hit by tech sell-off after Apple price hike
I recreated all my favourite TV tropes, from crawling through pipes to being two kids in a trenchcoat
CBI chief calls for second Brexit referendum if MPs can’t ‘get their act together’ April 11, 2019 Another EU referendum should be held if MPs are unable to “get their act together” and sign off a Brexit deal, the president of the CBI has insisted. Speaking after the EU granted a second delay to the UK’s withdrawal from the organisation, John Allan said going back to the public could well be the [...]
Tesco turnaround marks the milestone for Drastic Dave April 10, 2019 In the never-ending debate about executive pay, examples of failure are cited more frequently than cases of good value for money. Recently the likes of WPP, Persimmon and Ted Baker have all demonstrated how the actions of the top boss can dent the fortunes of a company and frustrate shareholders. But despairing investors now have [...]
Tesco doubles dividend as profits surge 30 per cent after turnaround success April 10, 2019 Tesco boosted profits by almost 30 per cent in 2018 as it beat expectations, leading the supermarket to almost double its dividend as its chief executive revealed the supermarket has met the “vast majority” of its turnaround goals since its 2014 accounting scandal. The figures Pre-tax profits rose 28.8 per cent year on year to [...]
Death of the High Street? Why we’re still backing UK retail April 9, 2019 Following some dire headlines you might rightly wonder why the share prices of UK retailers have recorded double-digit gains this year (see graphic, below). Surely the relentlessly downbeat mood music from the mainstream media (and pessimism among analysts) is confirmation that the UK consumer is in full retreat, and consumer-exposed sectors are in deep trouble? [...]
Lloyds Bank stars as FTSE 100 rockets in Q1 April 9, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. After a great first quarter for stock markets, we assess the best and worst blue-chips of 2019 so far. It’s been a storming start to 2019 for the FTSE 100 index, with popular interactive investor stocks including Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY), Next (LSE:NXT) and Tesco (LSE:TSCO) among those on [...]
Hotels stump up for new business rate bills April 7, 2019 Some of London’s most iconic hotels are facing renewed pressure from rising property taxes, according to business rate experts who fear that the sector could be hit by the latest round of bills. Real estate services firm Colliers found that 93 London hotels have been charged with a combined total rates bill of £12.2m this [...]
Dormant assets scheme could be expanded following government report April 4, 2019 A scheme to reallocate dormant assets to charitable causes could be extended to the investment and wealth management sector following the publication of a government report. An independent report commissioned by the government found that extending the scheme to other financial services, also including the insurance and pensions sector, could "significantly expand the money available to good [...]
The burden of business rates falls unfairly on the West End April 4, 2019 This week, UK retailers received one of their biggest tax bills of the year. The consequences of the 2017 revaluation of business rates will again be felt, with a further hike of nearly 50 per cent for some companies. Retailers in London’s West End and Mayfair will once again be hardest hit, paying the lion’s [...]
The AA’s opting for the long road to stability April 4, 2019 Shares in the AA have been swerving all over the place since it returned to the stock market in 2014. After jumping from a float price of 250p to 430p the following year, the ambitions of the team that steered the roadside rescue outfit through an unusual management-buyout-cum-IPO began to stutter. The stock slid and [...]
May called business chiefs to reassure over latest change in Brexit negotiation plan April 3, 2019 Theresa May last night tried to reassure bosses at some of Britain’s biggest firms, including Rolls-Royce, BT and GlaxoSmithKline, about her latest change in direction on Brexit negotiations. The PM hosted a call with the co-chairs of her business councils last night, shortly after announcing she would look for another extension to Article 50 so [...]