Eco-toilet firm Propelair flush with new funds November 13, 2014 CF Woodford Equity Income Fund, headed by top British fund manager Neil Woodford, yesterday agreed to pour £2.6m into toilet firm Propelair. Propelair will use the funds to support the expansion of its sales, marketing and installation teams. It will also provide working capital for the firm to widen its customer base and build stock [...]
Vodafone and Sainsbury push FTSE 100 slightly up – London Report November 11, 2014 The FTSE 100 yesterday advanced to its highest level in more than a month, as a rise in mobile operator Vodafone and supermarket retailer Sainsbury offset a slump in energy stocks. The blue chip index closed up by 0.2 per cent, or 16.15 points, at 6,627.40 points – its best closing level since late September. [...]
As oil prices remain depressed, could this signal the end of the shale revolution? November 5, 2014 Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, says Yes. A period in which crude oil prices were below $80 per barrel would begin to hurt the US shale industry. Over the past four years, the average price of US-produced WTI crude has been north of $95 per barrel, and while this has triggered [...]
Stress Awareness Day 2014: How to cope with workplace pressure November 4, 2014 On Stress Awareness Day, Brian Claridge looks at how high-powered businesspeople manage the strain. It’s often painted as a purely personal issue, but research released today by Friends Life finds that stress could be costing UK companies £690m a day. The report, coinciding with National Stress Awareness Day, found that 23 per cent of [...]
Antofagasta targets unchanged by poor quarterly production October 29, 2014 Mining firm Antofagasta maintained yesterday that it is on track to meet its 2014 production target despite production tumbling across the board in the first nine months of year. Gold production saw the biggest decrease at 64,700 ounces, a decline of 18.3 per cent compared with the same period in 2013. The company attributed this [...]
Clocks change 2014: Does it make financial sense to switch from BST to GMT? October 25, 2014 British Summer Time (BST) officially comes to an end tomorrow. The clocks go back an hour at 1am on 26 October, heralding the onset of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) where mornings get brighter, but evenings get darker earlier. However, while an extra hour in bed is a welcome bonus for the weekend, the [...]
US inflation up on food costs October 22, 2014 US CONSUMER prices rose marginally in September, painting a weak inflation picture that should give the Federal Reserve ample room to keep interest rates low for a while. The Labor Department said yesterday its Consumer Price Index edged up 0.1 per cent last month as a rise in food and shelter costs offset a decline [...]
Best of the Brokers for 20 October 2014 October 19, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BSKYB S&P Capital IQ reiterated its “sell” rating, and stated that despite a good first quarter which saw a six per cent rise in recurring revenue and total customer numbers up five per cent year-on-year, it remains concerned about content and product costs. [...]
Former environment secretary warns UK will miss energy target October 15, 2014 THE UK will miss a key legally-binding energy emissions target in 2050 unless it builds a new Hinkley Point nuclear power station every three years, the former environment secretary Owen Paterson MP claimed last night. Giving an address to the Global Warming Policy foundation, Paterson warned that the UK’s current plan to use alternative energy [...]
Oil prices have hit a four-year low October 15, 2014 Brent crude was continuing its long march down today. Already below $90 a barrel, the benchmark price has now gone south of $82. This cost represents the lowest price in four years, dragged down by a deluge of supply and dwindling demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently reduced its 2014 forecast for global oil [...]