Game Group profits tumble as new releases fail to impress consumers September 23, 2009 VIDEO games retailer Game Group yesterday posted a 60 per cent slump in first-half profit and said sales were continuing to fall. The group said profits had crashed to £10.8m in the six months to 31 July, from £32.5m in the same period last year. The company had told shareholders to expect profits between £13m [...]
Game Group profits tumble as new releases fail to impress consumers September 23, 2009 VIDEO games retailer Game Group yesterday posted a 60 per cent slump in first-half profit and said sales were continuing to fall. The group said profits had crashed to £10.8m in the six months to 31 July, from £32.5m in the same period last year. The company had told shareholders to expect profits between £13m [...]
FTSEdrops as windfall tax worries offset mining gains December 7, 2009 Britain’s top shares ended 0.2 per cent lower yesterday, with banks weak on concerns over a possible windfall tax, offsetting modest gains in miners and energy stocks which rebounded from earlier losses. The FTSE 100 closed 11.70 points lower at 5,310.66 points, paring some losses from earlier in the session when the index dropped to [...]
FOOTBALL-CRAZY PWC GETS STUCK IN ON ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP BID October 28, 2009 GOOD news for the multitude of football fans in the City: the team behind England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup have secured themselves a powerful ally. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accountancy giant, today announces it is the first sponsor to officially back the bid, responsible for working on crucial aspects of the proposal such [...]
Tiffany upbeat despite downturn September 20, 2009 Luxury jewellery chain Tiffany remains upbeat about trading prospects during the crucial Christmas holiday period but said its flagship New York store was still not in positive territory. “We are reasonably optimistic about the holiday season,” the firm’s president James Quinn said at an economic forum in Dublin. Trading remains difficult for the firm as [...]
Your attitude to risk key to 2010 trading December 1, 2009 IT WAS no surprise that the Dubai debt scare saw investors running back to safe-havens such as the US dollar, Japanese yen and the Swiss franc. Risk appetite is one of the biggest drivers of the foreign exchange markets. The story of recent months in forex markets has been one of increasing investor confidence, which [...]
Why fizz is good for you December 14, 2009 JOHN Mortimer, the author who created the scuzzy lawyer Rumpole of the Bailey, used to say that champagne was the secret to a long life. Mortimer drank a glass of fizz every morning, before settling down to work on his plays and novels. He lived to a sprightly and active 85, and was publishing books [...]
EX-BANKER TO LAUNCH ART FUND VENTURE November 29, 2009 REGULAR readers may remember Nasser Azam, the former equities and derivatives trader at Merrill Lynch who swapped his high-flying City career for life as a humble artist. But it seems Azam has discovered a way to combine his twin passions, having just launched a new art investment fund called the Azam Collection. Actually, it isn’t [...]
THE TIPSTER TURBULENCE MAY BE OVER FOR RYANAIR November 1, 2009 WE are still in earnings season, which means that shares and indices are subject to plenty of daily moves. Irish airline Ryanair had a turbulent time in October with its share price tumbling from €3.50 to below €3.00 so investors will be looking for some good news when it releases second quarter numbers today. The [...]
SOVEREIGN SCORES A COUP AS IT NETS BANK GRANDEE BOB WIGLEY December 16, 2009 MY MY , but hasn’t it been an eventful few months for Aim-listed home equity release firm Sovereign Reversions? Back in August, Countrywide chairman Harry Hill and a couple of fellow dissident shareholders caused a touch of controversy by trying to oust Sovereign’s board and put the company into run-off by sending out pre-ticked proxy [...]