Daily Investment Market News from London
Tuesday 13th of May 2008
October 31, 2007

Royal Mail Problems Posted In 06/07 Year Report

Permalink: Royal Mail Problems Posted In 06/07 Year Report by Stewart Douglas

Royal Mail Problems Posted In 06/07 Year Report

The Royal Mail announced today that profits over the last financial year have been significantly hurt by an unforeseen increase in employee pension contributions, one of the subjects of the recent nationwide postal strike that disrupted postal services. The Royal Mail group reported today that it had raised over £230 ...

Alcatel-Lucent Cut 4,000 More Jobs To Save Costs

Permalink: Alcatel-Lucent Cut 4,000 More Jobs To Save Costs by Stewart Douglas

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Telecomms company Alcatel-Lucent has today announced it intends to lose another 4,000 positions over the next two years in a bid to continue its commitment to reducing costs in order to improve consistent poor performance over recent quarters. The company today unveiled substantial losses totalling 260 million euros for the third quarter, continuing the poor performance that ...

Crude, precious metals prices see gains

Permalink: Crude, precious metals prices see gains by Elaine Frei

Crude, precious metals prices see gains

Crude oil prices jumped on Wednesday after the US Energy Information Administration reported that inventories dropped in the week ending 26 October. West Texas Intermediate crude December contracts added $4.15 to $94.53 per barrel, a new closing record, after going as high as $94.74 per barrel during the session for a new ...

US dollar, yen weaken

Permalink: US dollar, yen weaken by Elaine Frei

US dollar, yen weaken

The US dollar was weaker against both the euro and sterling again on Wednesday as investors waited to see what the Federal Reserve would do about interest rates. In mid-afternoon trade in New York, the dollar stood at $1.4459 in relation to the Euro, while it was at $2.0782 against sterling, at $1.0515 versus ...

Taiex, Hang Seng decline amid gains

Permalink: Taiex, Hang Seng decline amid gains by Elaine Frei

Taiex, Hang Seng decline amid gains

Results were mixed in Asia-Pacific region equities markets on Wednesday, with most higher on the session. Exceptions included Taiwan’s Taiex index, which fell 0.48 percent to 9,711.37. In addition, the Hang Seng index dropped 0.9 percent in Hong Kong. Among gainers, Australia’s S&P/ASX200 was 0.06 percent higher to ...

Imperial Tobacco acquisition delayed

Permalink: Imperial Tobacco acquisition delayed by Kay Murchie

Imperial Tobacco acquisition delayed

Imperial Tobacco, Britain’s biggest cigarette manufacturer, said yesterday that its £8.8 billion acquisition of Spanish firm, Altadis, will not be finalised until January 2008. The group had anticipated completing the deal by the end of this year. Imperial's chief executive, Gareth Davis, said the deal had taken longer than originally anticipated due to the ...

Luminar shrugs off smoking ban

Permalink: Luminar shrugs off smoking ban by Kay Murchie

Luminar shrugs off smoking ban

Britain’s No1 nightclub firm has announced half year pre-tax profits of £12.6 million, a rise of 56%. Chief executive, Stephen Thomas, said there had been only a marginal impact on sales at the dancing venues following the smoking ban which commenced on 1 July this year. Luminar said its theme nights for ...

Consumer confidence falls for the fourth consecutive month

Permalink: Consumer confidence falls for the fourth consecutive month by Kay Murchie

Consumer confidence falls for the fourth consecutive month

A survey has established that consumer confidence has fallen for the fourth consecutive month in October showing that shoppers are more reluctant to make major purchases than at any time since the mid 1990’s. Research group GfK NOP's consumer confidence barometer fell to -8 in October from -7 in September. ...

October 30, 2007

Logitech Profits Significant Down On Sub-Prime

Permalink: Logitech Profits Significant Down On Sub-Prime by Stewart Douglas

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The world's largest computer mouse and keyboard manufacturer Logitech has today announced a significant fall in profits over its second financial quarter, as a result it says of a charge taken in respect of losses incurred on certain sub-prime linked investments. The announcement marks the latest in a long line of finance and non-finance sector institutions to ...

Sterling strengthens on rate speculation

Permalink: Sterling strengthens on rate speculation by Elaine Frei

Sterling strengthens on rate speculation

Sterling saw gains Tuesday as most analysts expected that the Bank of England will keep interest rates in the UK on hold when it meets on November 8 as recent data showed that the UK economy expanded at a faster rate than had been expected in the third quarter. At nearly 1 p.m. ...

Sports Direct Thwart Nike Umbro Bid

Permalink: Sports Direct Thwart Nike Umbro Bid by Stewart Douglas
Hopes of an acquisition of sportswear manufacturer Umbro by industry giant Nike were today dashed as a rival shareholder increased its stake in the company behind the England national shirt. Shareholder Sports Direct International has today increased its holding in Umbro, the company behind many of the English premier division's football shirts and their lucrative replica sales channels, to just under ...

WTI drops over $3 per barrel

Permalink: WTI drops over $3 per barrel by Elaine Frei

WTI drops over $3 per barrel

Crude oil prices were significantly lower Tuesday as they dropped from record levels after production facilities in Mexico that had been offline due to bad weather were set to reopen and OPEC said that speculation and politics were to blame for high oil prices even as some analysts said that fundamentals, ...

Most Asia equities markets see declines

Permalink: Most Asia equities markets see declines by Elaine Frei

Most Asia equities markets see declines

Most Asia-Pacific region equities markets were lower on Tuesday. The major exceptions were in Hong Kong, where the Hang Seng index set its fourth record in a row as it closed 0.16 percent higher to 31,638.22, and in Shanghai, where the Shanghai Composite jumped 2.6 percent to 5,897.19. In ...

Schroders dismisses credit crunch - third quarter profit up

Permalink: Schroders dismisses credit crunch - third quarter profit up by Kay Murchie

Schroders dismisses credit crunch - third quarter profit up

Schroders, the fund management group seems to be unaffected by the recent credit crunch after posting a 53% increase in third quarter profits today. The sharp increase in profits came in spite of a net outflow of funds under management. The group said funds under management at September 30 ...

Baugur may make offer for Saks

Permalink: Baugur may make offer for Saks by Kay Murchie

Baugur may make offer for Saks

Baugur, which owns House of Fraser, has announced that it may make a joint bid for the upmarket US department store chain Saks. Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE) comprises 54 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 49 Saks Off 5th stores, 62 Club Libby Lu specialty stores and saks.com. Baugur, the Icelandic retail investor, ...

World’s biggest banks hit by credit crisis

Permalink: World’s biggest banks hit by credit crisis by Kay Murchie

World’s biggest banks hit by credit crisis

Two of the world’s biggest banks warned yesterday that they have been hit by exposure to bad debt in the sub-prime US mortgage sector UBS, the Swiss investment bank and one of London’s major employers, made a pre-tax loss in the third quarter of 726m Swiss francs (£304 million), its first ...

October 29, 2007

Kellogg Profit Warning Hits Share Price

Permalink: Kellogg Profit Warning Hits Share Price by Stewart Douglas

Kellogg Profit Warning Hits Share Price

Breakfast cereal group Kellogg has today issued a profit warning for 2007 and 2008 in light of rising global wheat prices which it expects to impact upon the profitability of its business over the period, resulting in share prices plummeting by almost 5% on the day. The world's most prominent cereal brand, ...

Skype Set To Revolutionise Mobile Market

Permalink: Skype Set To Revolutionise Mobile Market by Stewart Douglas

Skype Set To Revolutionise Mobile Market

Leading global VOIP provider Skype has today announced it has teamed up with mobile phone network 3 to launch the world's first voice over internet protocol mobile handset in a move that has seen significant technological advancements into the modern communications market. The eBay owned telecomms company has announced that its services ...

Global markets see gains

Permalink: Global markets see gains by Elaine Frei

Global markets see gains

Equities markets in the Asia-Pacific region were higher again on Monday, with some indices reaching new records. In India, the Sensex rose above 20,000 for the first time, going as high as 20,024.67 during the session before closing at a record 19,977.67, a gain of 3.82 percent. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, ...

Brent crude closes above $90 per barrel

Permalink: Brent crude closes above $90 per barrel by Elaine Frei

Brent crude closes above $90 per barrel

Crude oil prices were higher again on Monday on a falling dollar, a closure of some Mexican production due to bad weather, continuing tensions between Turkey and Iraq, and worries about winter supplies. West Texas Intermediate for December delivery added $1.67 to $93.53 per barrel at the close of floor trade ...