All that glitters: Anglo American’s diamond business De Beers reports higher sales on pre-Christmas demand September 6, 2016 Anglo American said today sales at De Beers, its diamond unit, rose as manufacturers snapped up the precious gems ahead of the holiday season. The world's largest diamond producer by value reported rough diamond sales generated $630m (£472.65m) in its seventh offering this year, up from $528m in the previous round. Read more: How this digital-focused jewellery retailer is shaking [...]
Delaying the inevitable: How long can central banks extend the credit cycle? September 5, 2016 Calling the end of the current credit cycle is becoming an increasingly popular sport among seasoned market-watchers. While there is division over exactly when it will conclude, the consensus is it will be soon. Last week, Deutsche Bank analysts came to the conclusion that they were “not quite ready to call the end of the [...]
Experts warn UK North Sea corporation tax is still too high September 5, 2016 One of the world's leading petroleum economists has warned that the rate of corporation tax for North Sea oil and gas companies is still too high and "far above" that of its competitors. North Sea oil and gas companies pay a special rate of corporation tax at 30 per cent. In the March budget, tumbling oil [...]
O2 could IPO as soon as this year September 5, 2016 Mobile network O2 could IPO as soon as this year, its owner Telefonica has revealed, after its sale to Hutchison and merger with Three was blocked by the EU. The Spanish firm's chairman Maria Alvarez-Pallete said: “We have been working to list it, so if today or in the next few weeks we decided to do so, we [...]
FTSE 100 ends the week tantalisingly close to 7,000, pushed up by pharma – as housebuilders regain losses September 2, 2016 The FTSE 100 ended the day at 6,894.6 points – 2.2 per cent higher, and within spitting distance of that 7,000 mark. The index was pushed up by pharmaceutical and mining stocks, with Hikma Pharmaceuticals leading the pack, jumping 5.2 per cent to 2,185p. That was followed by Unilever, which rose 3.8 per cent to 3,663p – [...]
FTSE-listed housebuilder share prices have tumbled after McCarthy & Stone’s gloomy Brexit outlook September 2, 2016 Just when we thought things were beginning to look up, housebuilder shares uniformly drooped this morning, after retirement home builder McCarthy & Stone presented a gloomy outlook about the impact of Brexit. Persimmon was the biggest faller among the FTSE 100-listed builders, dropping 2.9 per cent to 1,815p in mid-morning trading. That was followed by Berkeley [...]
Oil prices rebound slightly – but still set for biggest weekly fall since January September 2, 2016 Oil prices rebounded slightly this morning – but it wasn't enough to prevent them from heading for their biggest weekly drop since January. Brent crude futures ended yesterday’s session at $45.45 per barrel, but was up at $45.76 in early trading in London. However, this was down more than eight per cent since the beginning of this week, when [...]
Oil prices are headed for their largest weekly drop since January September 1, 2016 Oil prices dropped by more than three per cent today as they head for their biggest weekly fall since January, with investors worrying over US crude stockpiles. Brent crude futures ended the session at $45.45 per barrel, down $1.44 or 3.07 per cent. U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures closed down $1.54 or 3.45 per [...]
Foreign exchange trading flops as London loses market share, according to the Bank for International Settlements September 1, 2016 Foreign exchange trading around the world has fallen over the course of three years, with London in particular losing market share. Global foreign exchange trading averaged $5.1 trillion (£3.8 trillion) a day in April, down from $5.4 trillion for the same month in 2013. It is the first time a fall has been recorded by the Bank for International Settlement's [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open September 1, 2016 The pound has leapt against the dollar after the UK's manufacturing sector smashed expectations and China's manufacturing sector has also bounced back. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 2:30pm London time. Pre-market futures are looking mixed ahead of the open. The S&P is off by 0.1 per cent, while the Nasdaq is [...]