London Report: William Hill and retailers weigh the FTSE down January 9, 2014 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 fell yesterday and underperformed shares in southern Europe, as a rise in the pound against the euro hampered prospects for the index’s exporters and most retailers fell after weak Christmas updates. The FTSE erased gains in the afternoon as the pound rose to its highest in a year against the euro on [...]
Rolls-Royce and Bentley drive home record global sales January 8, 2014 TWO of Britain’s luxury car brands enjoyed unprecedented global sales last year, driven by booming demand in the Middle East and parts of Asia. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said today it delivered 3,630 vehicles in 2013, up 1.5 per cent to give the firm its fourth record-breaking year in a row. The UK has been “stable” [...]
Persimmon steps up construction as house recovery spurs demand January 8, 2014 HOUSEBUILDER Persimmon posted a 21 per cent jump in full-year revenues yesterday helped by higher prices and strong demand. The group said it has boosted construction activity as a result of a rise in weekly sales rates and that new house sales had increased by 16 per cent to 11,528 for 2013. Meanwhile housing and [...]
AstraZeneca in biotech deal to boost pipeline January 8, 2014 ASTRAZENECA has signed a deal with private British biotech company Immunocore to boost its experimental cancer drug pipeline as it seeks to find new medicines to replace those going off patent. Immunocore is developing drugs known as ImmTACs that exploit the power of the body’s own immune system to find and kill diseased cells. AstraZeneca [...]
M&S investor piles pressure for cash return January 7, 2014 MARKS & Spencer shareholders are putting pressure on the high street retailer to buy shares or increase its dividend, as the City braces itself for a gloomy trading update tomorrow. One top 20 investor told City A.M. “There is some pressure on management somewhat given that we are at the end of the turnaround strategy [...]
Royal Mail hit by broker note January 7, 2014 CANTOR Fitzgerald looks set to be left off Royal Mail’s Christmas card list this year after slapping a sell rating on the postal service’s shares. Cantor analyst Robin Byde said that “following its spectacular post-IPO performance, [Royal Mail]’s valuation and dividend yield are no longer compelling”. While he said the firm was doing well with [...]
Centrica finance chief leaves for Reed Elsevier January 7, 2014 CENTRICA finance director Nick Luff will depart the company this year to join information group Reed Elsevier, leaving Britain’s biggest household energy supplier in the midst of a political row over rising bills. Energy costs have become a big political issue in recent months, leading to intense scrutiny of utility companies like Centrica, after Ed [...]
Ashmore wins China investment licence in first for a western firm January 7, 2014 LONDON’S push to become a leading foreign centre for yuan trade took a step forward yesterday after Ashmore became the first western asset manager to secure a licence to invest directly in China’s capital markets. China’s cautious embrace of international cash resulted in a coup for Britain last October, when London became the sole non-Asian [...]
Marks & Spencer hit by analyst downgrades to profit forecasts January 6, 2014 MARKS & Spencer was dealt a further blow after two city brokers slashed their full-year profit forecasts for the embattled retailer, sending shares lower yesterday. Analysts at house broker Citigroup cut their full-year profit forecast by £10m to £630m after a gloomy trading statement from rival Debenhams last week, and amid fears of heavy discounting [...]
Land Securities plots designer outlet at the O2 January 6, 2014 THE O2 arena could become one of London’s top shopping destinations after Land Securities began talks with its owner to open a designer outlet centre on the site. The property giant has signed a six-month exclusivity agreement with AEG Europe to explore options for creating a designer outlet scheme in an unused part of the [...]