Two companies, $20bn in combined revenue, 100 countries, and six things you need to know about Shire and Baxalta’s merger January 11, 2016 Shire spent six months trying to woo Baxalta's board, here's all you need to know about the long-awaited $32bn (£22bn) merger in six points: The deal The merger is the third largest pharma deal by a UK company, and the 16th biggest pharma deal ever, according to Dealogic's data. In the UK it is only beaten by the mega-mergers that created [...]
AstraZeneca and TSB help London reverse declines – London Report March 12, 2015 UK SHARES rose yesterday, led by challenger bank TSB after it received a takeover offer, and by drugs group AstraZeneca on optimism about key trial results. Shares in TSB, which was spun off from Lloyds and listed at 280p per share last year, rose 23 per cent to 326p after it received a takeover bid [...]
General Election 2015: Labour letter responds to businesses chiefs backing Conservatives April 1, 2015 Labour has responded to a pro-Conservative endorsement signed by 100 business leaders with their own letter of support from what it claims is a true section of British society. The pro-Labour letter was signed by a mixed group including up to 50 low-paid workers on zero-hours contracts and creative industry workers such as designer Wayne Hemingway [...]
Antofagasta cuts copper production forecast for the third time this year October 28, 2015 Shares in Antofagasta fell three per cent to 528p per share this morning after the mining firm cut its copper production forecast for a third time this year. The FTSE 100 company cut its full-year copper output guidance to 635,000 tonnes from 665,000, due to delays at its Centinela Concentrates mine in Chile’s Antofagasta Region, 1,350 km north of Santiago. It [...]
FTSE 100 slides despite BG rise on Shell deal – London Report April 8, 2015 OIL AND gas stocks dominated trade in a falling UK stock market yesterday, driven by a £47bn bid by Royal Dutch Shell for energy firm BG Group. Shares in BG jumped 26.6 per cent to hit their highest level since September when the stock was tracking a falling oil price. The two listings for Royal [...]
FTSE retreats as aerospace and miners weigh – London Report October 13, 2015 Mining and aerospace stocks weighed on FTSE yesterday as the UK’s top share index fell after posting its biggest weekly gain since 2011 in the previous session. The benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.7 per cent at 6,371.18 points at its close, its first daily loss in nine sessions, having risen for the previous [...]
Primark sales up but Associated British Foods warns strong pound will weigh on earnings February 23, 2015 Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of the Primark clothing chain, warned investors today that a strong pound would likely lead to a “marginal decline” in adjusted earnings per share for the full year. Sales at its Primark division are expected to grow thanks to strong Christmas sales and expansion into Europe – [...]
The biggest market moving moments of 2015, from the Chinese currency devaluations to the commodities crisis December 15, 2015 From Greece to China's Black Monday, It hasn't been an easy ride for many this year, with volatility taking global recovery in new and interesting directions. With the year nearing its end, we've looked back at the biggest market-moving moments of 2015. Contagion, anyone? Greece's General Election in January had far reaching consequences for the Eurozone, not just [...]
Firms’ £1.8bn bill as pension deficits grow December 18, 2014 PROFITS at Britain’s leading firms are being dragged down by sustained pension fund deficits, thanks to falling bond yields, according to a study out today from Mercer. This problem is exemplified in AA corporate bond yields, which have fallen to 3.38 per cent as measured by the Markit iBoxx >15 year index. This figure is [...]
Britain’s still great: Opportunities abound from the Northern Powerhouse to infrastructure revamp June 18, 2015 EUROPE REFERENDUM To the relief of many, the UK election turned out to be a simple affair. But while we avoided protracted wrangling over the make-up of the government, the key risk facing the UK now is the referendum on European Union membership. It is due to be held before 2017 – but some business [...]