magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
Arqiva set to be UK’s largest IPO of the year… but is it worth backing?
Thursday 26 Oct 2017Communication towers operator Arqiva has confirmed plans to float on the London Main Market in what will be the UK’s largest IPO (initial public offering) so far this year. The group is aiming to raise £1.5bn from investors in return for a rough 25% stake in a business that will command a £6bn...
Inflation at five year high
Thursday 19 Oct 2017Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney says inflation is yet to peak despite reaching its highest level in five-and-a-half years of 3% in September. A full percentage point above the Bank’s 2% target, this reading is widely seen as increasing the chances of an interest rate rise on 2 November...
Many leisure companies are nursing big share price losses
Thursday 19 Oct 2017The pains facing the leisure sector are clear to see when looking at share price performance for UK-quoted companies dependent on consumer spending. At some point the sector will throw up some bargains, but we’re not quite at that stage yet as there is still too much capacity versus demand. You...
Jackpotjoy CEO in shock exit
Thursday 19 Oct 2017Online bingo and casino operator Jackpotjoy ( JPJ ) has announced a parting of the ways with chief executive Andy McIver a mere nine months after listing its shares in London. Jackpotjoy says ‘further operational expertise is needed to maximise future growth prospects through its core business...
Commodity prices: potential winners and losers in 2018
Thursday 19 Oct 2017This year’s commodities bull-run could continue well into 2018 for many products, according to investment bank Macquarie. Most of the major metals have risen in price this year and Macquarie believes gold, silver, nickel and uranium have the best prospects over the next one to two years. For gold...
Streamlined BAE aims to fly
Thursday 12 Oct 2017Defence behemoth BAE ( BA. ) is planning to make job cuts across three divisions to improve efficiency, operational effectiveness and ‘drive competitiveness’. The division most impacted by this streamlining programme is the military air and information business which is set to cull 1,400 roles. The...
Capita announces new CEO
Thursday 12 Oct 2017Former Amec Foster Wheeler boss Jon Lewis is joining outsourcer Capita ( CPI ) as CEO. The company had been without a chief executive since Andy Parker announced he was leaving in March and stepped down last month. Parker had a tricky tenure with a string of profit warnings as well as disputes with...
Online orders heat up Domino’s shares
Thursday 12 Oct 2017Takeaway franchise Domino’s Pizza ( DOM ) saw its shares rally more than 10% to 342.5p on 10 October after reporting a 21% increase in group sales in the third quarter, supported by rising online orders and cutting prices for those whose buy two or more pizzas. Digital sales in the UK were up 17.4...
Can exploration make a comeback after North Sea oil discovery?
Thursday 12 Oct 2017Excitement continues to build at North Sea oil explorer Jersey Oil & Gas ( JOG:AIM ) after a well on its 18%-owned Verbier prospect identified up to 130m barrels of oil. Drilled with Norwegian operator Statoil, this side-track well involved re-entering a previously unsuccessful well from its...
Where next for the UK stock market?
Thursday 12 Oct 2017The FTSE 100 remains in touching distance of record highs but there is still considerable uncertainty over the Brexit process and the looming issue of a UK interest rate rise – possibly as early as next month (2 Nov). Canaccord Genuity says investors should consider the relative underperformance of...