Editor's Picks
House prices post annual rise
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
House prices jumped for the sixth month in a row during December, resulting in the first annual increase since March 2008, says the Halifax.
Virgin enters UK banking sector
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
Richard Branson's Virgin Money has stepped up its plans to move into the UK mortgage and savings market with the acquisition of a private regional lender. Virgin Money is to pay around £12.3m for Church House Trust and will inject another £37.3m of new capital into the Somerset-based bank. The Financial Services Authority has already approved the deal.
Mitchells & Butlers reports strong trading
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
Pub group Mitchells and Butlers said trading in the new financial year has remained strong, thanks to sales growth across the main brands, but cautioned that it is still cautious on the outlook for consumer spending.
Comment: Broad appeal helps Sainsbury's prosper
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
Presenting a Christmas trading update today, Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King said the firm’s ‘universal appeal’ helped it attract a record number of shoppers during the festive period.
Cadbury in talks with Hershey, reports
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
Dairy Milk maker Cadbury is reported to be in talks with American rival Hershey about the possibility of a merger in an attempt to thwart a hostile takeover from Kraft Foods.
Premium broker tips: Banks running out of steam
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
Keefe. Bruyette & Woods (KB&W) reckons that European banks are ‘growing nowhere fast’, and has downgraded the sector to ‘neutral’.
OFT refers bus market to Competition Commission
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has referred local bus services to the Competition Commission (CC) after concluding that low levels of competition in many bus markets may be resulting in poor outcomes for bus users and taxpayers. A public consultation carried out by the OFT in 2009 found there was a tendency towards monopolies or near monopolies at local and regional routes
JD Sports profits to 'significantly' exceed expectations
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
Sportswear fashion seller JD Sports expects full-year profit before tax and exceptional items to significantly exceed current market forecasts.
Autonomy in 7-figure deal with BAE
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
Corporate infrastructure giant Autonomy has won what it termed ‘a significant licence agreement’ with UK defence firm BAE Systems.
Record Christmas boosts Sainsbury's
Thursday 07 Jan 2010
Sainsbury said a record Christmas performance completed a strong third quarter in which like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, rose by 3.7%. Like-for-like sales, including fuel, rose by 3.8% in the 13 weeks to 2 January, while like-for-like sales excluding fuel and VAT were up by 4.2%. Total sales rose 6.2%, or 6.3% excluding fuel.
Food for thought from M&S
Wednesday 06 Jan 2010
Food sales in the UK are dominated by the ‘big four’ supermarkets, but a number of smaller players are snapping at the market leaders’ heels.
UK services PMI resumes expansion
Wednesday 06 Jan 2010
New data out this morning showed service sector activity picking up pace in December, adding to hopes of a recovery following the recent generally better news on the economy.
Premium broker tips: Top 6 mid-caps for 2010
Wednesday 06 Jan 2010
Charles Stanley has done its sums and come up with its six key buys for 2010 in the FTSE 250 index.
M&S grows Christmas sales, 'challenging' 2010
Wednesday 06 Jan 2010
The cold weather saw woolly jumpers and slippers fly off the shelves at Marks & Spencer in the days before Christmas. A 0.8% increase in UK like for like sales for the 13 weeks to 26 December could have been an extra 1% higher if the period had included the first day of the Christmas sale on 27 December. But M&S shares have fallen almost 5% after chairman Stuart Rose warned of a challenging 2010
Next in line for subdued year
Tuesday 05 Jan 2010
Next’s cautious outlook for 2010 may have set the correct tone for the year.
Construction activity declines for 22nd month
Tuesday 05 Jan 2010
Construction activity continued falling in December, data from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) showed today.
Brown faces new leadership challenge
Tuesday 05 Jan 2010
Prime minister Gordon Brown faces renewed doubts over position after two former cabinet ministers call for a secret ballot on his leadership.
Premium broker tips: Banks on last leg of recovery journey
Tuesday 05 Jan 2010
Companies covered so far today include: Barclays, Lloyds Banking, BT, Colt Telecom, Stagecoach, Man Group, Schroders, LSE, Tullett Prebon and ICAP
Next celebrates Christmas sales surge
Tuesday 05 Jan 2010
High street retailer Next has increased full-year profit forecasts again after enjoying better than expected sales in the run up to Christmas. Sales for the 22 weeks to Christmas Eve jumped 4.6% at Next Retail and by 3.2% on a like for like basis, including direct sales, and by 1.6% excluding them. Next Directory sales rose 6.8%. Profits for the year to 31 January will be between £490m and £500m
Morgan Stanley tops 2009 M&A table
Monday 04 Jan 2010
Morgan Stanley has topped the 2009 global M&A league table, beating Goldman Sachs into second place in what was a comparatively poor year for takeover activity.
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