Apple reaches top of the world – but will it stay there? August 22, 2011 @steve_dinneen LAST week Apple achieved what even a year ago seemed all-but impossible – it became the biggest company in the world. In shuffling, albeit briefly, past oil giant Exxon Mobil, it joined an ultra-exclusive club of just 10 companies to have held the top spot in the history of the S&P 500. And unlike [...]
The silver lining to losing out on Potash August 21, 2011 THIS time last year, BHP Billiton shareholders were struggling to understand the mining giant’s rationale behind bidding $40bn (£24.3bn) for a fertiliser company. Investors were left aghast after the firm became embroiled in an ugly, and ultimately unsuccessful, hostile bid for Potash Corp that cost them $350m in advisory fees alone. After they raised concerns [...]
Miners eye Colombia growth August 18, 2011 ANGLO American, Xstrata and BHP Billiton have approved a $1.3bn (£789m) expansion of the Cerrejon mine, home to one of the world’s largest coal deposits, in Colombia. The diversified miners said yesterday they would invest equal amounts in the project that will increase production and export capacity by 8m tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 40 [...]
Biggest one-day FTSE 100 fall in more than two years August 18, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares dropped yesterday in their worst one-day fall since March 2009, led by banks on concern the growth outlook for global economies was slowing and worries about contagion in the Eurozone debt crisis. Stocks extended falls after August factory activity in the US Mid-Atlantic region dropped to its lowest level since March 2009, [...]
Rothschild’s Bumi reports $54m earnings August 17, 2011 Mining group Bumi, founded last year by billionaire financier Nat Rothschild as acquisition vehicle Vallar, posted underlying first-half earnings of $54m (£32m) and said production for the year was on track. Bumi said it expected to produce 86m tonnes of coal this year, up from 77m, when posting its first interim results since the thermal [...]
Magic Circle law firms rule UK’s top 100 August 14, 2011 TOTAL revenues at the UK’s top 100 law firms hit £14.27bn in 2010-11, a four per cent increase from the previous year and a return to growth after declining turnovers since 2008. Profit at the biggest firms hit £4.3bn – also up four per cent from the £4.15bn in 2009-10, while the overall profit margin [...]
Best to keep hold of those hard hats August 11, 2011 Hang on to those hard hats for a little bit longer. To the relief of all concerned in the financial markets, yesterday saw stocks rally in most parts of the world. But these are anything but safe times. In Europe rumours of some form of ban on short-selling, confirmed late last night, lifted stocks. Such [...]
Deloitte sees UK revenue rises return August 9, 2011 UK REVENUES at Deloitte, one of the City’s big four accountancy firms, have risen by seven per cent over the past year, it said yesterday, returning to growth after seeing contraction since 2008. The global firm posted UK revenue of £1.9bn for the year to 31 May, up from £1.78bn in 2010. Chief executive and [...]
FTSE continues downward spiral August 5, 2011 Markets continued the downward spiral which saw £35bn wiped off London’s blue-chips yesterday as the debt crisis and fears that the world economic recovery is not gaining traction took their toll. There were few signs of life in markets across Europe this morning with the FTSE 100 slumping 2.8 per cent on opening. Germany’s Dax [...]
Down, down, down August 4, 2011 ■ FTSE slumps to 5,393.14, its lowest level this year and 11.3 per cent below May peak ■ £35bn wiped off the value of Britain’s blue-chips; Glencore down 26 per cent since float ■ After a torrid week, Dow Jones suffers its sharpest one day drop since October 2008 STOCKS in Japan collapsed this morning, following [...]