Kindle boosts Amazon profits October 22, 2009 Online retailer Amazon yesterday said pre-tax profits surged by 62 per cent between July and September to $199m (£119m) on the same period last year. The group said sales had been boosted by sales of its Kindle e-reader. Overall sales climbed 28 per cent to $5.45bn.
Goodies certain to make dads beam June 9, 2010 DRAPER 40765 POWER DRILL £49.99 from amazon.co.uk It is a truth universally acknowledged that a dad hasn’t come of age before he has his very own power drill. This cordless model from Draper Tools is a durable option with long-lasting, fast-charing and reliable batteries that won’t fail you when you’re away from a power supply. [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS May 31, 2010 Sainsbury’s Finance The supermarket personal finance business yesterday said interim chief executive David Fisher has been appointed as its new permanent chief. Fisher, who has been in the interim role for five months, joined the group in January from Lloyds Banking Group, where he was group HR director for HBOS. He spent a total of [...]
Net-A-Porter is snapped up in £350m Swiss deal April 6, 2010 SHOPPING website Net-A-Porter was yesterday sold to Swiss luxury brands group Richemont in a deal valuing the business at £350m The company, founded by ex-Tatler fashion editor Natalie Massenet, was set up in a small studio in Chelsea a decade ago and now turns over £120m and employs 600 people. Massenet, said she was “very, [...]
Wall Street rises on strong March retail sales data April 8, 2010 US stocks gained yesterday after strong March retail sales increased optimism that the economic recovery is on track. Investors snapped up retailers’ shares after top US chains reported a record year-over-year increase in same-store sales for March. The sales reflected a boost in consumer demand that some investors doubted would materialize so soon. Online merchant [...]
Amazon announces roll-out of popular Kindle e-reader to 100 new countries October 7, 2009 ONLINE retail giant Amazon announced yesterday that it is introducing the Kindle, its wireless eBook reader, in more than 100 countries – including the UK. The move gives the world’s largest online retailer the widest global reach among its competitors, including chief rival Sony. But it was not clear yesterday which UK mobile network providers [...]
SPREAD BET GURU April 18, 2010 MARKET STRATEGIST josh@cityindex.com Q. Dear Josh, JP Morgan’s earnings were very good, what will this mean for the other banks? A. I take a balanced view on this. That JP Morgan announced much better earnings than the market had first anticipated, a 57 per cent rise in profits, is a good sign for the bank [...]
S&P 500 boosted by lift for bankers April 6, 2010 THE S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose modestly yesterday as the banking sector got a lift from positive analyst comments, while minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting eased concern over rising rates. The minutes suggested the central bank could keep interest rates at ultra-low levels longer than investors have anticipated if the economy worsens. Lower [...]
FORTY YEARS ON AND WE SEEM TO HAVE LEARNED VERY FEW LESSONS May 24, 2010 WHEN you are older than God, as I am, I think you tend to become rather blasé as yet another political or financial crisis unfolds. I was 23 and working as an impecunious bank clerk at Hill Samuel (now part of Lloyds Banking Group, for the youth among you) when I was exposed to my [...]
MEP says hedgie directive will block funding for start-up firms February 7, 2010 EU plans to tighten regulation of hedge funds and private equity firms will starve Google and Amazon-style start-ups of funding, a Conservative MEP has warned. Syed Kamall said proposals to restrict European investors from putting money into Asian or American funds under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers directive could result in retaliatory measures, where overseas [...]