New York Report: Nasdaq above 4,000 for first time in 13 years November 26, 2013 THE Nasdaq composite index closed above 4,000 yesterday for the first time since 2000, while the Dow and S&P ended barely changed. Retailers and homebuilders were among the best performing sectors, responding to stronger-than-expected earnings and robust housing market data. Tiffany jumped seven per cent to $88.02 and was the S&P 500’s top performer after [...]
LoveFilm falls into the red due to investment September 22, 2013 ONLINE film and DVD service LoveFilm posted a loss of £21.2m in 2012, falling into the red due to an increase in costs. The company, which was acquired by US online retail giant Amazon in 2010, made a profit of £14m in 2011. But last year its earnings were hit by the cost of interest [...]
Bottom Line: Calver’s turnaround begins to blossom November 21, 2013 IT COULD have gone so differently. Two years ago – around the time it launched a review of its struggling British business – Mothercare’s shares were trading at just 148p. Dreadful UK sales were dragging down decent growth in international markets, and the group had swung to a pre-tax loss of £81.4m in the first half of [...]
How to find value in a volatile market February 4, 2014 A correction can be a good time to add on weakness – but capital protection should still be key OVER the course of last month, investors pulled around $12.2bn (£7.5bn) out of emerging market (EM) equity funds, according to EPFR data. And this month’s headlines have been no less dramatic, with the S&P 500 suffering [...]
Why the latest robot war is much more exciting than who – or what – delivers to your door December 4, 2013 The battle of earth and sky may be about to become automated, as Google reveals it's taken over seven robotics companies over the last six months. The New York Times reports that, at this stage, the internet titan doesn't plan on selling the products it's developing to consumers. So, suggests the paper, perhaps they'll be [...]
Grand Theft Auto V accelerates games market back into growth October 28, 2013 THE RELEASE of Grand Theft Auto V helped push the video games market back into growth for the first time in five years last month, according to data out today. Kantar Worldpanel figures for the 12 weeks to 29 September show that the games market grew by 29 per cent compared with the same period [...]
Vinyl records stage a return September 12, 2013 MORE music might be moving online but even the world’s biggest internet retailer has felt the effects of the vinyl revival. Amazon’s UK website has seen sales of vinyl records more than double in the last year, albeit from a low base. The retail group said today that Daft Punk’s latest album, Random Access Memories, [...]
Fears for London as listing regulations are tightened November 5, 2013 THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) yesterday strengthened its listing rules to protect minority shareholders in the wake of the scandals surrounding ENRC and Bumi, two companies that floated in London and became mired in controversies over corporate governance. The new rules, which will eventually affect already listed companies with large shareholders such as Sports Direct, [...]
Letters to the Editor – 13/11 – Listing rules, Greenbelt, Best of Twitter November 12, 2013 Listing rules [Re: New listing rules protect investors and safeguard London’s open markets, yesterday] Elements of the new listing rules may help to prevent scandals involving poor corporate governance. But there is a danger that, by singling out companies controlled by majority shareholders for added scrutiny, we drive away future flotations. Many of the world’s [...]
Asos ramps up investment on growth abroad October 23, 2013 ASOS announced plans yesterday to ramp up spending over the next two years as it moves to improve its distribution network to cope with an ever expanding business. The online fashion retailer will invest £110m over the next two years, increasing capital expenditure to £55m a year from a planned £35m and stepping up investment [...]