The UK’s lead in the forex market is the envy of the world September 23, 2019 The UK’s foreign exchange market is the backbone of international trade and investing. It is vital to support exports and imports, which in turn give Britain access to resources. Without the ability to trade in different currencies, the UK’s prospects would be limited, and economic growth would suffer. A recent survey by the Bank for [...]
Why M&S’ relegation from the FTSE 100 doesn’t mean the death of the High Street September 20, 2019 Marks and Spencer (M&S) is set to be relegated from the FTSE 100 after the close of business today. This will be the first time that the company has lost its blue chip status. The UK retailer was a founder member of the FTSE 100 and a stalwart of the UK High Street. But its [...]
Economies in free fall as hopes fade for a V-shaped recovery April 28, 2020 Amongst the arguments about a lack of protective clothing for health workers and whether governments were too slow to react to the spread of Covid-19, the latest figures show that the pandemic is gradually coming under control. The rate of growth in new infections and fatalities around the world is slowing and the curves are [...]
Not so lucky: Google’s share price falls eight per cent after disappointing results April 30, 2019 Shares in Google’s parent company Alphabet fell more than eight per cent in early trading in the US today after its results for the first quarter disappointed last night. Revenue rose 16.7 per cent to $36.3bn (£27.8bn) for the three ended 31 March, its slowest pace in three years, missing analyst estimates of $37.3bn according [...]
Pepsico beats analyst predictions for first quarter after strong low-sugar drink sales April 17, 2019 Pepsico beat analysts' estimates on first-quarter sales and profit, boosted by higher demands for its low-sugar drinks, sparkling water and snacks. The company announced 2.15 per cent sales growth in its North American beverages division with sales in its Frito-Lay snacks unit growing 5.5 per cent. Read more: Pepsico issues profit warning as it ramps [...]
Citigroup results: Earnings trump expectations but revenue dips April 15, 2019 Citigroup sent mixed messages to Wall Street this afternoon after posting higher-than-expected earnings as well as declining revenues. Read more: Fearless girl statue comes to London Stock Exchange The New York giant’s share buybacks helped it post earnings per share of $1.87, trumping Refinitiv estimates of $1.80 per share and marking an 11 per cent improvement [...]
Economy on red alert with yield curve close to inversion August 16, 2019 Both the US and UK yield curves are on the verge of inverting. The yield curve has been a reliable predictor of US recessions over the last four decades, less so in the UK. With only one exception, each time the yield curve has inverted, the US economy has entered a downturn within 18 months. [...]
Amazon smashes profit predictions on soaring cloud services demand April 26, 2019 E-commerce giant Amazon reported a significant jump in profit tonight to soar past average analyst expectations, in addition to matching estimates on revenue. The company’s net income for the first three months of 2019 more than doubled year-on-year to reach a record $3.6bn (£2.8bn), or $7.09 per share, compared to the average estimate of $4.72. [...]
Snap smashes expectations with narrowed losses and surprise user growth April 24, 2019 Original shows, a design overhaul for Android phones and an entry into video games powered Snap to top analyst expectations last night, surprising Wall Street naysayers. Snap – the parent firm of photo-messaging app Snapchat – said its losses had narrowed to $0.10 per share or $123m (£95m) in the first three months of 2019, [...]
Blackstone challenges Bloomberg with deal for $20bn Thomson Reuters arm October 2, 2018 Private equity giant Blackstone has completed its biggest investment since the 2008 financial crisis by taking over Thomson Reuters' financial and risk unit. The deal, which values the business at around $20bn (£15.5bn), sees the Blackstone-led consortium of private equity funds take a 55 per cent stake. Thomson Reuters keeps 45 per cent of the business, [...]