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  • eBay sells 65% Skype stake for $1.9bn

    Tuesday 01 Sep 2009

    Online auction site eBay has agreed to sell a 65% stake in its internet call business Skype to a group of private investors for $1.9bn.

  • Majestic Wine halves minimum purchase

    Sunday 30 Aug 2009

    Majestic Wine, the Aim-listed wine retailer, has changed a major plank of its business strategy by reducing the minimum in-store purchase to six bottles from twelve.

  • AIM still breeding ground for talent

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    A growing number of smaller companies listed on London’s AIM are choosing to join the main market, new research has shown.

  • Motorists urged to beat fuel tax hike

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    Drivers are expected to pack petrol stations up and down the country over the Bank Holiday weekend in a rush to avoid the 2p increase in fuel duty planned for next Tuesday.

  • Housebuilders rally amid signs of recovery

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    Interim figures from housebuilders Bovis and Persimmon as well as economic data out this week point to a recovery in the UK housing market.

  • Brown suggests 'clawback' on bank bonuses

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    Prime Minister Gordon Brown has repeated his previous calls for bank bonuses to linked to long-term performance but added that the UK could not act on its own and any action to curb payouts must be internationally co-ordinated. He also suggested that banks could operate a 'claw back' system to recoup bonuses if their performance suffered in subsequent years.

  • National Express rejects improved CVC/Cosmen bid

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    National Express has rejected the improved 450p per share offer from a consortium led by its main shareholder, saying that it undervalued the group and its prospects.

  • GDP shrinks less-than-expected

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    Britain’s economy shrank less-than-expected in the three months to June, according to the Office for National Statistics. Gross domestic product (GDP) has been revised to a fall of 0.7% compared with the last quarter, a smaller fall than the previous estimate of -0.8%. The year on year decline has been revised to 5.5% from 5.6%, the sharpest fall since records began in 1995.

  • Network Rail to cut 1,800 jobs

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    Network Rail said late on Thursday that it is planning to axe 1,800 jobs in a bid to reduce costs.

  • Stagecoach trading still 'challenging'

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    Bus and rail operator Stagecoach said conditions remain challenging as it reported a 4.4% rise in like-for-like UK bus revenues and a 0.9% rise in UK rail revenues in the 12 weeks to July 26.

  • Lloyds mulls alternatives to toxic asset scheme

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    Lloyds Banking is said to be considering alternatives to joining the government’s toxic asset protection scheme (APS), including a potential rights issue or the sale of Scottish Widows.

  • PartyGaming profit up, revenue hit

    Friday 28 Aug 2009

    Online gaming giant PartyGaming saw pre-tax profits rise at the half year stage, but revenues fell by 21% predominantly due to the strength of the dollar against the euro and sterling. Pre-tax profit rose to £38m in the six months ended June from £30.3m last time. However, net revenue fell to $201.3m (2008: $254.8m) reflecting the significant appreciation in the US dollar

  • Retail sales fall again, but outlook improves

    Thursday 27 Aug 2009

    Shopkeepers are finally turning positive on future prospects despite a fourth consecutive decline in monthly high street sales in August.

  • National Express approach worth 450p a share

    Thursday 27 Aug 2009

    National Express says a consortium, which includes CVC Capital Partners and the Cosmen family, is prepared to pay 450p a share in cash for the bus and trains operator.

  • House prices continue summer surge

    Thursday 27 Aug 2009

    House prices kept rising through the summer, jumping in August for the fourth month in a row to leave them only slightly lower than they were a year ago. Latest figures from the Nationwide had the price of an average home up 1.6% at £160,224. The annual decline narrowed to just 2.7% from 6.2% in July. Last month, the building society said prices could end 2009 higher than when they started

  • 888 Holdings profits dip

    Thursday 27 Aug 2009

    Online gaming firm 888 Holdings saw profits slide in the half year and said it is trading “solidly” despite consumer sentiment remaining weak and currencies still volatile.

  • AMEC still bullish despite profits slip

    Thursday 27 Aug 2009

    Engineer and project manager AMEC reported a slight fall in pre-tax profits due to one-off items but said trading remained robust in a tough trading environment.

  • Diageo profits 'in line', target lowered

    Thursday 27 Aug 2009

    A 4% drop in full-year profit at Diageo was pretty much in line with expectations, but the alcoholic drinks giant has cut current year growth targets. The group, responsible for the Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Guinness brands, said pre-tax profit fell £78m to £2.015bn in the year ended 30 June on reported sales up 15% to £12.28bn. Net sales rose to £9.31bn from £8.09bn.

  • Fujitsu to slash 1,200 UK jobs

    Wednesday 26 Aug 2009

    Japanese technology and services giant Fujitsu is to cut 1,200 UK jobs by the end of the year after reporting lower than anticipated revenues.

  • Households with no workers at 10-year high

    Wednesday 26 Aug 2009

    The proportion of households where no adults work has risen to ten year highs, according to the Office for National Statistics.

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