BORIS BIKE STAFF THREATEN OLYMPICS STRIKE May 30, 2012 JUST a day after strikes were averted on the Tube, workers on London’s Boris Bikes have threatened to walk out during the Olympics. The RMT union said it will ballot staff in a bid to secure reasonable working hours and a bonus during the Games. Operator Serco said the RMT was not a recognised union [...]
FTSE lurches towards worst month since August May 30, 2012 The FTSE 100 dipped this morning as the Eurozone’s debt woes continued to cast a shadow and hopes that China would trigger further fiscal stimulus were dealt a blow. Investors are awaiting the European Commission’s economic strategy on how austerity measures can be introduced without quashing the growth required for recovery. Concerns about Spain’s ability [...]
Charities need to be innovative to beat tough times May 29, 2012 PUBLIC services are being opened up to a variety of providers. If you go swimming, social enterprise Greenwich Leisure Limited, not the council, may well be running the pool. Your rubbish is more likely to be collected by a private company. And if you have a relative in need of social care, then it’s likely [...]
BEST of the BROKERS May 27, 2012 BREWIN DOLPHIN Numis rates the investment manager “sell” with a target price of 110p ahead of its interim results tomorrow. The broker expects a drop in adjusted earnings per share, from 6.7p a year ago to 4.5p – much lower than consensus estimates of 6.7p. Numis warns that consensus forecasts seem to be overlooking a [...]
FTSE edges up but Eurozone gloom continues May 24, 2012 The FTSE 100 staged a tentative recovery in early trading although an inconclusive meeting of Eurozone leaders offered little prospect of a plan to save Greece. Overnight the EU said it wanted Greece to stay in the fold but contingency plans are already underway for an exit from the euro for the debt laden country. [...]
Serco in talks with Amec over sale of nuclear advice business May 23, 2012 OUTSOURCER Serco said yesterday that it was in talks with Amec over the sale of its technical consulting business (TCS). Serco’s TCS provides provides safety advice to the nuclear industry. Amec, an engineering consultancy to the energy sector, has yet to make any formal offer the two companies said. Serco bought TCS for £75m in [...]
Serco starts the year with £4bn contracts win May 14, 2012 OUTSOURCING firm Serco has won nearly £4bn of contracts so far this year, but said yesterday its revenues from the Americas had slumped. The FTSE 100-listed group, which runs services from the Docklands Light Railway to prisons and air traffic control centres around the world, said it expected first-half revenue to grow by around six [...]
Serco buoyed by UK contract wins May 14, 2012 British outsourcing company Serco said almost £4bn of contract wins in the first half of the year and an improving outlook in the UK left it confident of meeting 2012 targets. The British group said it expected first half revenue growth to be around six per cent, almost entirely from last year’s acquisitions, with good [...]
LONDON REPORT May 13, 2012 THIS week will see a string of stormy annual meetings, which will be closely watched for signs that the “shareholder spring” is taking hold. The market is also due to digest some key earnings reports on Thursday and Facebook’s long-awaited US float on Friday. However, today looks set to be relatively quiet on the corporate [...]
FTSE in modest rise as investors eye Fed April 24, 2012 The FTSE 100 saw a modest rally this morning led by banking and commodity stocks as investors looked for signs that the Federal Reserve will inject more liquidity into markets. London’s blue chip index was dented yesterday by uncertainty over who will be the next president of France, the collapse of the Dutch government and [...]