Weir Group plummets on 2013 profit warning November 4, 2013 FTSE 100-listed engineer Weir Group saw its shares plummet yesterday morning after it warned that its full-year profit would miss analysts’ expectations, joining a host of mining equipment makers hit by cost cutting at mining companies. Peers such as Caterpillar, Sandvik, and Atlas Copco have all seen order bookings fall this year as lower metal [...]
London Report: HSBC lifts FTSE as Ryanair and Weir Group sink November 4, 2013 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 share index pushed ahead yesterday, as its biggest stock HSBC rose after solid results, outweighing weakness in the airline and engineering sectors following profit warnings. HSBC advanced 2.3 per cent in its biggest one-day rise in four months after quarterly profits rose by a tenth, year-on-year, meeting analyst expectations and reassuring investors [...]
Countrywide lifts forecasts as it predicts housing volumes boost October 31, 2013 BRITAIN’S biggest estate agency Countrywide increased its full-year profit forecast yesterday as it bets on a strong uplift in housing sales. The company, which raised £200m when it returned to the stock market earlier this year, has been helped by the housing market recovery, fuelled by government measures to help struggling Britons purchase their own [...]
Standard Life misses targets as staff leave October 30, 2013 INSURANCE giant Standard Life yesterday announced lower-than-expected new business sales, which analysts pinned on the departure of key staff members over the summer. Star fund manager Euan Munro jumped ship to be chief executive at Aviva Investors this summer, causing some leading investors to withdraw their money from the GARS fund that he controlled. As a [...]
BP results beat forecasts as it hikes dividend October 29, 2013 OIL MAJOR BP rose to the top of the FTSE 100 yesterday, after third-quarter results beat expectations and a dividend hike pleased investors. The firm posted underlying net profit of $3.692bn (£2.3bn), up from $2.712bn the previous quarter and higher than analysts’ consensus forecasts of $3.17bn. BP is increasing its quarterly dividend by 5.6 per [...]
Regus expects investments to hit 2013 results October 29, 2013 OFFICE space supplier Regus reported a 26 per cent rise in third-quarter revenue yesterday, but said full-year results would be hurt by the additional investments it was making to open new centres. The company, which provides meeting rooms, business lounges and office spaces for rent, said it now planned to open between 420 and 440 [...]
Expansion in the United States helps revenues at Stagecoach October 29, 2013 RAIL and bus group Stagecoach got its investors revved up yesterday after it said trading had been good since April. Stagecoach said its UK buses outside of London had delivered five per cent like-for-like growth in the 24 weeks to 13 October. In London, extra revenues from transporting spectators during last year’s Olympics sent like-for-like [...]
London Report: FTSE rises on BP strong figures and a dividend October 29, 2013 BRITAIN’S top share index climbed to a five-month high yesterday, with investors flocking to buy energy stocks after strong results from BP raised expectations for earnings from the sector. BP was the top-performer on the blue-chip FTSE 100 index, surging 5.6 per cent after the company announced forecast-beating profits, a dividend hike and plans to [...]
Riverstone float raises £760m in muted debut October 24, 2013 RIVERSTONE Energy, the new investment vehicle where former BP boss Lord Browne is a partner, raised £760.3m from its London listing – at the lower end of its expected price range. The company had hoped to raise between £670m and £1.5bn from the public offering, but ended up adding just £210m to the £500m it [...]
Unilever hit by sales slowdown in key markets October 24, 2013 UNILEVER, the consumer goods giant behind Wall’s ice-cream and Persil laundry detergent, reported a 6.5 per cent slump in turnover in the third quarter after suffering a dramatic slowdown in emerging markets. The FTSE 100 group has been hit by a slowdown in countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and India after uncertainty over whether the [...]