Moulton snaps up office supplies from DS Smith as part of £200m disposal July 6, 2011 VENTURE capitalist John Moulton is splashing out £40m on parts of DS Smith’s stationery and office supplies business after the firm sold the rest to Spanish firm Unipapel. Moulton’s Better Capital said its purchase of the UK and Irish business will go through once Unipapel buys up the other parts of DS Smith’s Spicers arm [...]
Successful entrepreneurs’ advice on how to ride out the three-year glitch September 25, 2011 STARTING a business is not easy. It’s a monumental decision like getting married, buying a house or having children. So much energy goes into getting it off the ground in the first year that it seems odd to focus on the third. But the third year really does matter. It’s a decisive year when most [...]
Successful entrepreneurs’ advice on how to ride out the three-year glitch September 25, 2011 STARTING a business is not easy. It’s a monumental decision like getting married, buying a house or having children. So much energy goes into getting it off the ground in the first year that it seems odd to focus on the third. But the third year really does matter. It’s a decisive year when most [...]
Dollar dented but not depressed November 8, 2011 FAIR FX RISHI PATEL Activity in the US has clearly been overlooked, as the chaos in the Eurozone takes the limelight. 2011 has been one of the more difficult years for macro trading, with the US economy so far managing to avoid heading back into recession. Early in the month we saw the release of [...]
Dollar dented but not depressed November 8, 2011 FAIR FX RISHI PATEL Activity in the US has clearly been overlooked, as the chaos in the Eurozone takes the limelight. 2011 has been one of the more difficult years for macro trading, with the US economy so far managing to avoid heading back into recession. Early in the month we saw the release of [...]
Barratt profit on target as house sales rise May 12, 2010 HOUSEBUILDER Barratt Developments said it will deliver a profit in the second half as it reported improved sales rates since February. The UK’s third largest housebuilder by market value, said its average selling price is expected to rise by 15 per cent by June 30, thanks to a shift in the type of houses being [...]
Liontrust posts a loss of £1.7m due to restructuring June 15, 2011 FUNDS management house Liontrust has posted a full year pre-tax loss of £1.7m, after restructuring costs dented the group’s profitability. The London-listed firm said it had paid out several million in related one-off costs, including severance compensation payments totaling £1.5m. Restructuring efforts also included the rebranding and refocusing of some of its funds and the [...]
CVC in talks to take stake in Branson’s Virgin Active gyms June 12, 2011 PRIVATE equity firm CVC Capital Partners is poised to take a significant stake in Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Active gym chain, in a deal valued at £1bn. The buyout house is in exclusive deal talks with the company to buy a significant shareholding. It is not known whether it will take a controlling stake. CVC [...]
Bellway upbeat as home sales and orders rise June 10, 2011 House developer Bellway has posted a better than expected view of its market, describing its spring selling as “healthy”. Its average home unit sales rate was 111 properties per week in the four months to the end of May, up nine per cent on the same period in 2010. Average selling prices were up four [...]
THE TIPSTER July 3, 2011 A REPORT from the US Department of Agriculture at the end of last week, flagging a marked increase in the amount of corn being sown by farmers, sent prices tumbling. A good harvest will certainly take the pressure off food supplies and in turn the prices being charged globally, but some will simply see this [...]