THE TIPSTER July 11, 2010 AFTER this column tipped a sell of dollar-Canadian dollar at C$1.0675 on Tuesday of last week, the loonie rallied hard against the greenback late in the week and dropped all the way down to C$1.0303 by Friday afternoon. The market has suddenly started to price in a possible interest rate hike in Canada following the [...]
Investors flock to defensive stocks as FTSE inches higher August 12, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index ended higher yesterday after defensives gained, led by pharma firm GlaxoSmithKline after US authorities recommended approval of its Potiga epilepsy drug. The FTSE 100 ended up 20.85 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 5,266.06, having hit its lowest close in three weeks on Wednesday when it fell 2.4 per cent to [...]
Investors flock to defensive stocks as FTSE inches higher August 12, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index ended higher yesterday after defensives gained, led by pharma firm GlaxoSmithKline after US authorities recommended approval of its Potiga epilepsy drug. The FTSE 100 ended up 20.85 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 5,266.06, having hit its lowest close in three weeks on Wednesday when it fell 2.4 per cent to [...]
FTSE ends lower as Barclays leads banking sector retreat August 5, 2010 BRITAIN’S top shares closed down yesterday, with Barclays leading banking shares lower after it posted first-half numbers and downbeat US weekly jobless claims data later in the day only adding to the downward pressure. The FTSE 100 closed down 20.38 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 5,365.78, having fallen back from a session high of [...]
P&G increases its European market share June 24, 2010 PROCTER & Gamble, the maker of Gillette razors, said yesterday that new product ranges and cheaper versions of existing brands were boosting its market share in Europe in a particularly difficult economic climate for retailers. The world’s biggest consumer goods group has launched new automatic dishwasher and stain removal products over the last two years, [...]
Unilever to appoint ex-Bristol Myers man as next CFO December 14, 2009 UNILEVER, the company behind Marmite, Magnum ice creams and Dove soap, is poised to appoint Jean-Marc Huet as its next chief financial officer, City A.M. can confirm. Sources said Unilever will announce the appointment either today or tomorrow. Huet resigned as finance chief of Bristol-Myers Squibb yesterday. The pharmaceutical company said he would leave at [...]
Unilever gets the City’s approval as it hires new finance chief December 16, 2009 CONSUMER products giant Unilever yesterday named Jean-Marc Huet as its new chief financial officer, following the resignation of James Lawrence last week. Huet is currently chief financial officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb and will make the switch to Unilever in the New Year. “We are delighted to have attracted a candidate of Jean-Marc’s talent and experience,” [...]
Permira eyes Findus Italy April 5, 2010 PRIVATE equity house Permira is poised to make a takeover bid for Unilever’s Italian frozen food business Findus Italy. Unilever is expected to formally announce the sale of Findus towards mid-April, with Permira looking at making a bid for the Italian business, which is currently priced between €500m-€800m (£444m-£710m). Permira, which bought frozen food brands [...]
Blank on the long list for M&S chair May 16, 2010 HEADHUNTERS searching for a replacement to Sir Stuart Rose at Marks and Spencer have earmarked former Lloyds chairman Sir Victor Blank as a potential candidate to chair the board. JCA Group founder Jan Hall is currently putting together a long list of candidates ready for the board to whittle down. Other names that have been [...]
Nielsen gears up for listing June 3, 2010 NIELSEN plans to raise up to $1.75bn (£1.2bn) in an initial public offering, becoming the latest private-equity backed company to sell shares into a fragile market. Nielsen is best known for its viewership ratings, which often determine the fate of TV shows. Its top 10 clients – who account for about 23 per cent of [...]