Italy attracts strong demand for first new bond of the year January 15, 2019 Italy’s first major bond issue of the year has attracted more than €30bn (£26.7bn) of orders as investors showed renewed appetite for long-dated Italian debt. The new 15-year bond, due March 2035, sold through a syndicate of banks is expected to be priced at 18 basis points over its existing benchmark yield, according to Refinitiv. [...]
Financial markets 2018: the year in review January 7, 2019 After two years of steady growth in asset prices, 2018 proved more of a challenge for investors, particularly in the last three months of the year. US president Donald Trump’s tax cuts had provided an added boost for investors heading into 2018, and US GDP growth accelerated to 4.2 per cent on an annualised quarterly basis [...]
Amazon presents a mixed bag to investors after record holiday sales January 31, 2019 E-commerce behemoth Amazon predicted lower-than-expected revenue for the current quarter tonight, despite reporting record sales for its busiest period of the year. Revenue for the three months to 31 December rose 19.7 per cent year-on-year to hit $72.4bn (£55.1bn), boosted by events such as Black Friday and Christmas and topping consensus estimates of $71.9bn as polled [...]
14 years of returns: history’s lesson for investors March 29, 2019 The temptation among investors is to stick to what you know. That is no bad thing. It is a strategy championed by successful investment pioneers such as Warren Buffett, a famous devotee of stocks. It can work, when the market is rising and you have picked the right asset. However, it’s also important for investors [...]
Tesla tops revenue forecasts but profits take a hit January 30, 2019 Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has posted a smaller profit tonight than in its previous quarter, as fresh legislation and ramped up production costs took a bite out of its success. The firm made a net profit of $139.5m (£106.4m) in the three months ending 31 December, compared with a $311.5m profit in the previous quarter when it still [...]
Alibaba revenue growth slows to weakest pace in three years January 30, 2019 Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's revenue grew at its slowest pace in three years last quarter, as the ongoing US-China trade spat and a general slowdown in the region weighed heavily on its busiest period. Asia's second most valuable public company published revenue of 117.28bn yuan (£13.4bn) for the three months to 31 December, compared to 83bn yuan a [...]
Tiffany sales disappoint Wall Street as Chinese shoppers curb their luxury spending November 28, 2018 A slump in demand from wealthy Chinese tourists has taken the sparkle off of Tiffany’s latest sales report this afternoon, with weaker-than-expected results sending shares down during pre-trading on Wall Street. The luxury jewellery maker missed its estimates today after reporting a three per cent rise in same-store sales, falling below Refinitiv projections of a [...]
Shares fizz as Coca-Cola bottler reports rising revenue November 8, 2018 Shares at Coca-Cola HBC climbed five per cent in morning trading as the fizzy drinks bottler posted rising revenue on the back of higher demand in its international markets. The Swiss-based firm, which is the world’s second-largest Coca-Cola anchor bottler, led the FTSE 100 this morning after reporting revenues of €1.87bn (£1.63bn)in the third-quarter, rising [...]
Nvidia slashes its fourth quarter guidance, sending its shares into a downward spiral January 28, 2019 Chipmaker Nvidia has cut its fourth quarter revenue estimate by $500m (£379.7m) after its performance in China slowed, causing its share price to spiral down more than 18 per cent. Chief executive Jensen Huang said the firm had suffered an "extraordinarily, unusually turbulent and disappointing quarter", as Nvidia forecasted revenue of $2.2bn for the quarter ending in [...]
Caffeine boost: Starbucks shares buzz as turnaround plan beats sales estimates November 1, 2018 Coffee behemoth Starbucks’ share price has risen more than eight per cent in after-hours trading, after the company performed better than expected in its fourth quarter. Strong growth in the US and China helped to boost sales, taking global net revenue to $6.3bn (£4.8bn). The company has battled with increased competition in recent months, laying off [...]