Miners, banks and oil groups emerge as stars of the index July 14, 2009 LONDON’S top share index closed up 0.9 per cent yesterday, led by miners, banks and oil producers as impressive corporate data from the United States outweighed mixed economic figures. The FTSE ended 35.55 points higher at 4,237.68, extending Monday’s 1.8 per cent gains. The index has risen more than 23 per cent since hitting a [...]
Fast food prospers as consumers loosen belts June 23, 2009 WHILE the recession continues to claim casualties from a variety of sectors, others are finding that an economic downturn has boosted business. One of the sectors whose BrandIndex scores have notably risen is fast food. As usual, we have created a “basket” of brands (Burger King, Domino’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Wimpy). For comparison, [...]
Fast food prospers as consumers loosen belts June 23, 2009 WHILE the recession continues to claim casualties from a variety of sectors, others are finding that an economic downturn has boosted business. One of the sectors whose BrandIndex scores have notably risen is fast food. As usual, we have created a “basket” of brands (Burger King, Domino’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Wimpy). For comparison, [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 8, 2009 Collins StewartThe investment banking group has appointed Simon Whittley as an intermediary sales manager to its wealth management division. Whittley will be responsible for increasing referral business from law firms, accountants, independent financial advisers and trust companies. He previously worked at Credit Suisse Private Bank, Arbuthnot Latham Investment Management and Close Wealth Management. HSBCAndrew Keen has [...]
Glaxo tops the table as the market hopes to feel better July 8, 2009 THE FTSE 100 ended down by 1.1 per cent yesterday, hitting its lowest closing level in more than two months, as weakness in banks, oil producers and miners offset minor resistance in some defensives. The index closed down 46.77 points at 4140.23, its third day of losses. Banks were under pressure on the economic outlook [...]
Commodities and financials emerge as stars of the index July 13, 2009 THE FTSE 100 closed 1.8 per cent higher yesterday, boosted by stronger energy and mining stocks, while financial shares also provided support to the market which had fallen in five of last eight sessions. The index ended 74.96 points higher at 4,202.13, after falling 0.8 per cent on Friday to its lowest close since 28 [...]
PWC BOARD GET THE X-FACTOR TREATMENT IN SURPRISE CONTEST July 28, 2009 RECENT surveys have shown that employees’ sense of job security has improved in recent months, but it seems it is now so high that poking fun at the board is back in vogue. The PwC board were half way through a three-week UK tour last week – in which they met 850 partners – when [...]
BarCap hiring spree continues May 21, 2009 BARCLAYS Capital (BarCap) continued its hiring spree yesterday, raiding its rivals for a pair of star M&A bankers. Matthew Ponsonby of Citigroup and Mark Warham will join the division as co-heads of mergers and acquisitions in Europe. The appointments continue the unit’s strategy of building European equities and M&A teams to match BarCap’s US operations. [...]
BarCap hiring spree continues May 21, 2009 BARCLAYS Capital (BarCap) continued its hiring spree yesterday, raiding its rivals for a pair of star M&A bankers. Matthew Ponsonby of Citigroup and Mark Warham will join the division as co-heads of mergers and acquisitions in Europe. The appointments continue the unit’s strategy of building European equities and M&A teams to match BarCap’s US operations. [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS June 2, 2009 LADBROKESBarclays Capital is not convinced that Ladbroke’s overseas investment will give a particularly high return compared to peer William Hill’s online expansion. However, the broker believes the group is well-run and cash generative, with a high dividend yield. It initiated coverage of the stock with an “equal weight” rating. KCOM GROUPKCOM’s results show strong cost [...]