What the other papers say this morning March 1, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES TOP 10 HEDGE FUNDS MAKE $28BN The top 10 hedge funds made $28bn for clients in the second half of last year, $2bn more than the net profits of Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Barclays and HSBC combined, according to new data. Even the biggest of the hedge funds have only a [...]
The knock-on cost of pricey commodities February 27, 2011 Inflation is the word on everyone’s lips at the moment. RPI inflation – the measure that best reflects the true rise in the cost of living in the UK – is now at 5.1 per cent a year as producers raise prices to protect their profits. But even the biggest brand owners are struggling to [...]
Legal eagle: how London’s top law firm retained its grip on the City February 20, 2011 The head of law firm Slaughter and May is two minutes late for his interview with City A.M., for which he immediately apologies. The first thing is surprising; the second is not. The partners in this blueblooded City institution have spent a lifetime doing things correctly. Even among other Magic Circle outfits, this firm manages [...]
Reckitt slides after profit misses target February 9, 2011 RECKITT Benckiser shares took a hit yesterday after the company’s fourth-quarter profit rose but fell short of forecasts. Shares in the maker of Dettol and Cillit Bang closed 5.1 per cent lower at 3,270p after it said net revenue rose ten per cent to £2.28bn, and like-for-like sales climbed five per cent. Pre-tax profit fell [...]
FTSE held back by blue-chips and miners February 9, 2011 London trading was weighed down by falls in major stocks trading ex-dividend, outweighing strong performances by financial stocks. The FTSE 100 closed down 0.64 per cent or 30.04 points at 6,052.29, as BP, GlaxoSmithKline, International Power, Royal Dutch Shell, Sage Group and Unilever all lost their payout attractions. “After Tuesday’s leap to multi-year highs, a [...]
Premier Foods sells off can division to Princes February 8, 2011 PREMIER Foods yesterday said that it sold its canned grocery division –?including the brands Crosse & Blackwell and Fray Bentos – to rival Princes. The £182m deal is aimed at cutting Premier’s debt and is the second disposal in less than a month after the company sold its Quorn business for £205m. Premier said it [...]
Amsterdam: 400 years on, and still rich in promise February 1, 2011 The Amsterdam Stock Exchange was established in 1602 by the Dutch East India Company to allow people to buy and sell its printed stocks and bonds. As such, it is considered the oldest stock exchange in the world. Things have changed a lot since then, though, and the Amsterdam exchange now forms part of NYSE [...]
Goldman earnings prompt FTSE sell-off January 19, 2011 A surprisingly sharp sell-off on the FTSE this afternoon pushed the index below the 6,000 mark, to close down 79.73 points or 1.32 per cent, at 5,976.70. A bigger than expected fall in earnings at leading US investment bank Goldman Sachs sparked a rout among investors across all sectors. Earlier in the day, more bad [...]
Unilever acquisition of Alberto Culver given shareholder nod December 20, 2010 SHAREHOLDERS in US consumer goods group Alberto Culver have voted in favour of its proposed $3.7bn (£2.38bn) acquisition by Unilever, announced on September 27. Alberto Culver brands include personal care names TRESemmé, Alberto VO5, Nexxus, St. Ives and Simple. The deal will make Unilever the world’s leading company in hair conditioning, the second largest in [...]
Retailers and commodities push FTSE to three-week high December 7, 2010 Britain’s top shares closed at their highest level in over three weeks yesterday, lifted by commodity makers and retailers as equities remained the preferred asset class among investors despite macro concerns. The FTSE 100 ended up 38.17 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 5,808.45, having closed 0.4 per cent higher on Monday and 7.3 per [...]