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. [...]
How the FTSE 100 returned 94 per cent without moving January 14, 2019 On New Year’s Eve 1999, the FTSE 100 closed at a then-record high of 6930. Few could have envisaged then that, 19 years on, the index would be lower. It stood at 6845 as at 14 December 2018. A negative return for investors over that long a period can be concerning, but it doesn’t tell [...]
LG profits to plummet 80 per cent in festive quarter, as Samsung shares hit by weak chip demand January 8, 2019 LG Electronics has said its operating profit for the fourth quarter is likely to drop 80 per cent from the same period in 2017, falling miles away from previous analyst expectations. The world's second largest TV manufacturer has forecasted profit of just 75.3bn won (£52.5m) for the three months to December last year, which is also [...]
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 [...]
UK M&A value soars by more than a quarter in 2018 as number of mega-deals increases January 3, 2019 The value of merger and acquisitions involving UK companies soared by more than a quarter last year as the number of mega-deals surged. Deal activity reached a three year high in 2018, while M&A activity involving UK firms hit £359.9bn which is 28 per cent more than the value recorded in 2017, according to data [...]
City Moves for 29 November – who’s switching jobs at CBRE, Co-operative Bank and Genesis? November 28, 2018 Who’s moving jobs? CBRE Global real estate advisor, CBRE, has appointed Colin Elliot to lead its corporate capital markets business, part of CBRE Capital Advisors. The appointment is a key strategic hire for the Capital Advisors team as it looks to optimise the potential for growth of this important business sector, providing strategic financial advice [...]
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 [...]
Refinitiv executive hired to lead the fight in Brussels for the City’s future post-Brexit November 18, 2018 A senior boss at financial data firm Refinitiv has been appointed to fight for the City's future ahead of Brexit. The City of London Corporation said it was looking to strengthen its Brussels office and that a new managing director would be a “focal point” for building a new relationship between financial and professional services [...]
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 [...]
Shares dive at fashion house Michael Kors as sales miss expectations November 7, 2018 Michael Kors' shares plunged by 15 per cent today after the luxury fashion group missed Wall Street revenue estimates for the first time in almost two years. The owner of brands such as Jimmy Choo saw revenue come in flat year on year at $643.9m (£489.6m) as European store sales dropped 10 per cent in the three [...]