Diageo sees emerging markets offsetting weak Europe February 9, 2012 Diageo, the world’s biggest spirits group, delivered an upbeat message with strongly growing emerging markets and a slow recovery in North America helping to offset continued weakness in euro zone crisis hit Europe. The British maker of Johnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka said its half year underlying profits grew 9 per cent making it [...]
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR August 7, 2012 OUR final shortlist for the third annual City A.M. awards is a big one – the Business of the Year. For this category we have looked for strong share price performance aligned to important strategic developments. We have chosen four established companies, along with one rising star in Ophir Energy. Ophir has been one of [...]
BEST of the BROKERS August 7, 2012 F&C ASSET MANAGEMENT Singer Capital Markets rates the asset manager “buy” with a target price of 110p. The broker has cut its earnings estimates by four per cent for the next year to reflect weakness in the euro, as 40 per cent of its net revenue is euro denominated. However, Singer is confident the firm [...]
City A.M. Awards 2012 Winners October 17, 2012 City A.M.'s third annual awards celebrating the best and brightest of London's business, financial and investment communities. Over 500 guests from 116 different firms attended the celebration, held at the Grange Hotel in St Paul's. PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR Lord CoeLocog chairman Former Olympic middle distance runner and politician Lord Coe was a clear stand-out [...]
Market awaits public finance and GDP news August 19, 2012 HIGHLIGHTS for the economic week ahead will be tomorrow’s release of UK’s public finance data, followed by the revision of the second quarter’s GDP figures on Friday. While analysts fear there will only be a small surplus for the July finances figure – or possibly a loss – market watchers believe there will be some [...]
BEST of the BROKERS June 7, 2012 HALFORDS UBS has upgraded the DIY retailer from “sell” to “neutral” but has trimmed its target price from 260p to 240p. The broker has lowered its 2013 forecasts after a grim outlook took the shine off Halfords’ recent results, but believes cost cutting measures will cushion the firm from further earnings downgrades. UBS sees some [...]
Women execs in sharp rise across Europe September 5, 2012 A THIRD of all new board members at Europe’s biggest firms this year are women, new research reveals today, with women now holding almost double the number of board seats than just eight years ago. Female directors now make up 15.6 per cent of boards, up from just eight per cent in 2004, and eighty-six [...]
M&B grabs rival exec as new CEO September 10, 2012 PUB chain Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) yesterday ended its 18-month search for a new chief executive, poaching Alistair Darby from rival group Marston’s. Darby, who served as chief operating officer at Marston’s, will join M&B at the start of next month. The appointment caps a turbulent period for the company, which last year saw off [...]
M&B grabs rival exec as new CEO September 10, 2012 PUB chain Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) yesterday ended its 18-month search for a new chief executive, poaching Alistair Darby from rival group Marston’s. Darby, who served as chief operating officer at Marston’s, will join M&B at the start of next month. The appointment caps a turbulent period for the company, which last year saw off [...]
FTSE loses 1.5pc with investors not holding breath over ECB’s summit September 4, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index fell yesterday reflecting investor uncertainty over whether this week’s key European Central Bank (ECB) meeting will deliver the goods on a hoped for bond-buying scheme designed to ease the euro debt crisis. The FTSE 100 closed down 86.40 points, or 1.5 per cent, at 5,672.01, ending back below the 5,700 level [...]