LONDON REPORT April 22, 2012 UK investors are set for a busy week with a slew of earnings both here and on Wall Street, the release of Britain’s quarterly GDP rate and a decision from the Fed on the US Bank rate. Both the Nationwide Housing Prices report and Nationwide Consumer Confidence report are due out this week and today’s [...]
Risk-takers rewarded as former Olympus boss Woodford wins March 20, 2012 AND SO we boldly go to the British Museum, where the fourth annual FT Boldness in Business Awards were held last night. The world’s risk-takers and whistleblowers mingled with athlete Christine Ohuruogu; Locog chief Paul Deighton; and Lakshmi Mittal, head of co-sponsor ArcelorMittal. Michael Woodford MBE (pictured), the man who exposed camera firm Olympus’s huge [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS March 20, 2012 ARM HOLDINGS Barclays has upgraded the Cambridge-based chipmaker from “equalweight” to “overweight” and raised its target price to 725p, saying it sees smartphone and tablet growth driving an upside to its expectations, as well as a return to positive estimate momentum. The broker expects ARM to maintain the upper hand versus Intel in tablets, and [...]
Top brands pay best dividend March 5, 2012 Trusted brands known and used in every household in the UK were among some of the most consistent, dividend yielding stocks over the past year, according to research by Indixs. The UK Dividend Achievers Index listed the most consistent dividend paying stocks and found that consumer brands such as SABMiller, Diageo, Unilever, British American Tobacco [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS March 5, 2012 Warburg Pincus The private equity firm focused on growth investing has announced the appointment of Francesco Granata as an executive-in-residence, focusing on the healthcare sector. Granata will be based in Warburg Pincus’ London office, and will help the firm assess new investments in the biopharmaceutical sector. He has over 35 years experience in the pharmaceutical [...]
FTSE buoyed by energy stocks February 24, 2012 Upbeat economic data across the Atlantic and strong energy stocks helped to keep the FTSE 100 on track today despite relative weakness in Europe. US blue chips added 0.4 per cent overnight after weekly jobless data showed the US labour market remained on the mend, with the Dow approaching levels not seen since before the [...]
FTSE falls in light trading as heavyweights go ex-dividend February 15, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index fell in light, choppy trade yesterday, pressured by heavyweights such as BP trading ex-dividend, and miners and broadcasters after analysts cautioned against further upside to recent sector gains. London’s blue chip index closed down 7.71 points or 0.1 per cent at 5,892.16. The FTSE 100 has barely moved outside of the [...]
Emerging markets push comes too late February 8, 2012 WHEN times get tough, branded products are the first things to go. British consumers know there is little difference between Fairy and a supermarket’s own-label washing up liquid. The trend is more pronounced among younger consumers, who will protect luxuries such as their iPhone and designer clothes by buying staples from the supermarket economy ranges. [...]
BEHIND THE SCENES FOR OSCAR HIT’S LEGAL FIXER February 7, 2012 PAUL RENNEY, a lawyer at Keystone Law, almost collected the Bafta for The King’s Speech – except the film’s producers were faster out of their seats than he was. Renney, as the hit’s legal adviser, was a stand-in at the event for screenwriter David Seidler, who was “annoyed” at not being flown over from the [...]
Outlook grim for Unilever as markets slow February 2, 2012 CONSUMER goods group Unilever said 2012 will be a difficult year as growth in emerging markets, which accounts for more than half its business, slows and demand in Europe and North America stays flat at best. The gloomy outlook sent shares in the Anglo-Dutch group sharply lower yesterday after it broadly matched 2011 sales growth [...]