BAT in £1.25bn buy back February 23, 2012 British American Tobacco , the world’s second-biggest cigarette maker, increased its share buyback to £1.25bn ($1.96 billion) after it raised prices and saw strong growth in emerging markets to help boost its annual earnings. The London-based maker of Kent, Dunhill, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall cigarettes completed a share buyback of 750 million pounds in [...]
Black market sales are the main culprit February 1, 2012 PAIN in Spain. That is the cause of lower sales at Imperial Tobacco. The Spaniards, hurt by austerity and high unemployment, have decided to kick the cancer sticks. The quintessential cafe culture moment – a strong black coffee and cigarette – is a thing of the past. Or is it? We doubt it somehow. While [...]
FTSE resilient despite Greek deal fears March 7, 2012 The FTSE 100 proved resilient this morning as strong corporate results shored up the index despite falls on other markets across the globe. European shares overall steadied after two straight days of losses as investors braced for news on whether Greece would succeed in restructuring its huge debt pile. The Greek bond swap deal must [...]
RBS spearheads banks’ rally on FTSE February 23, 2012 The FTSE staged a rally this morning spearheaded by banks as investors gave a positive reaction to RBS results. Markets yesterday had been dented by surging oil prices which triggered fears that world global growth could be hampered while data in the Eurozone suggested that the bloc could lurch into recession. Banking stocks jumped in [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD February 20, 2012 Today At this morning’s results for Bluetooth technology firm CSR, investors will be looking at how much value the company’s acquisition of peer Zoran in August last year brings. CSR is guiding that revenue for the first quarter will be between $230m and $250m (£145m and £158m), but analysts have a more cautious forecast of [...]
Looking at 2011 to show you the money in 2012 December 19, 2011 IN TRADING, as in much of life, there exists a delicate balance between diving headfirst into the future and poring over every historical detail before acting. The former risks ignorance, with your head stuck in the sand, while the latter can result in the repetition of past mistakes and a failure to seize the day. [...]
BAT starts court fight over brand-free cigarette packets December 1, 2011 BRITISH American Tobacco (BAT) yesterday launched a High Court challenge against an Australian law that will require plain packaging of cigarettes from December 2012, saying it infringes intellectual property rights. This legal action comes just days after tobacco giant Phillip Morris sued the government over this plan, which will require all cigarettes to be sold [...]
BAT starts court fight over brand-free cigarette packets December 1, 2011 BRITISH American Tobacco (BAT) yesterday launched a High Court challenge against an Australian law that will require plain packaging of cigarettes from December 2012, saying it infringes intellectual property rights. This legal action comes just days after tobacco giant Phillip Morris sued the government over this plan, which will require all cigarettes to be sold [...]
BAT challenges plain pack cigarette laws December 1, 2011 British American Tobacco has become the second tobacco giant to launch legal action against Australian laws forcing tobacco products to be sold in plain packaging from next year, following the lead of Philip Morris. The laws, cleared by parliament, are being watched closely by governments considering similar moves in Europe, Canada and New Zealand. They [...]
THE TIPSTER October 24, 2011 THE tobacco firms have been popular defensive plays in the recent uncertainty, but with global economic sentiment rallying – at least temporarily – the risk has to be that stocks like this start to lag. However, British American Tobacco has an interim management statement due on Wednesday that will doubtless provide further reminders over the [...]