Bottom Line: Chinese ambition trumps a market return March 31, 2014 ALMOST 25 years ago, a Hong Kong retail tycoon called Dickson Poon stunned London by taking a chance on Harvey Nichols – a fading department store in dire need of a makeover. Poon was one of the first to spot a trend that now seems obvious; the Asian shopper’s thirst for designer labels that has [...]
Foxtons expands across London as profits boom March 11, 2014 London-focused estate agent Foxtons has reported a boom in profit before tax of 56.6 per cent to £38.9m, in preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2013. Foxtons also enjoyed a jump in revenue of 16 per cent to £139m, while sales volumes grew by 22 per cent. The company said it had a [...]
New York Report: Fresh record peaks for Dow and S&P 500 May 13, 2014 THE DOW and the S&P 500 eked out record closing highs again last night, while the Nasdaq resumed its recent slide, dragged down by Cisco shares. The S&P 500 briefly rose above 1,900 for the first time early in the session, but quickly gave back some of its gains. In contrast, the Russell 2000 index [...]
What you need to know before the US open April 29, 2014 US stocks futures pointed to a higher opening today, following some better-than-expected corporate results. European markets have continued to received a lift from positive earnings reports and news of mergers. A two-day Fed policy meeting begins later today, with expectations that a decision will be taken to taper for a fourth time. The increase in [...]
London Report: FTSE rises again on talk of £1bn bid for G4S arm October 21, 2013 BRITAIN’S top share index rose for the eighth straight session yesterday, led by G4S on talk of a bid for one of its businesses in a market supported by the prospects of US monetary policy remaining ultra-loose for longer. G4S rose 3.5 per cent, a top riser, after a report that British private equity group [...]
Battersea Power Station flats to be sold with £1m-plus price tag March 28, 2014 A SLICE of Battersea Power Station will set homebuyers back a cool £800,000 for a studio and £4m for a four bedroom flat, developers of the landmark building revealed today ahead of their launch in May. Battersea Power Station Development Company, which was set up by its Malaysian owners, plans to build 254 flats ranging [...]
Investment Comment: European earnings could be set to come back with a bang August 5, 2014 There is a question mark looming over European equities – when will companies deliver on earnings? So far, underwhelming earnings growth has done little to support the market’s upward march. In our view, that is poised to change. The Eurozone has a real and sustainable economic recovery underway, following four consecutive quarters of positive [...]
What your business card says about you July 29, 2014 A man pats his slicked back hair as he slides his business card across the table to his colleagues. It’s off-white and the words “Patrick Bateman, Vice President” are embossed on it in a finely etched black font. “Picked ‘em up from the printers yesterday. That’s bone. And the lettering is something called Silian Grail,” [...]
Shoppers saving up for luxuries at the expense of essential items March 10, 2014 SHOPPERS are splashing out on feel-good buys such as eating out and clothes rather than essential items as the recovery takes hold. Meanwhile spending on DIY is booming as the housing market continues to climb. Data from Barclaycard, which processes nearly half of the UK’s debit and credit transactions, found restaurant and clothing sales were [...]
What you need to know before the open April 10, 2014 Not much in the way of surprises from last night’s Fed meeting minutes. It seems officials are not in any hurry to raise rates, and markets rebounded on the news. The sell-off seen earlier in the week, though, seems to have been because of worries over pricey valuations, rather than rates concerns. According to the [...]