China iron ore imports hit second-highest level on record August 8, 2016 China's ravenous appetite for raw materials helped its iron ore imports hit their second-highest level on record last month. Demand for the key steel-making ingredient rose as Chinese steel mills fired up furnaces on the back of higher prices. It comes in the midst of a European steel crisis, which has prompted Tata Steel to reconsider [...]
The pound has not been so sterling after Brexit: How currency weakness will hit our travel plans, inflation and trade August 8, 2016 The pound has been steadily falling as the Brexit referendum and Bank of England’s moves to shore up the economy have pushed investors into selling the pound. Its downward slide over the last 12 months means sterling is now worth 16 per cent less against the dollar, at £1/$1.31, compared to £1/$1.56 previously. It’s even [...]
FTSE 100 charges towards 14-month high as miners gains August 8, 2016 The FTSE 100 charged higher this morning, as miners clambered towards the top of the index. It was 0.46 per cent higher to 6,822.53 points this morning, after hitting a one-year high on Friday. It had been buoyed by a BoE interest rate cut, £70bn of additional quantitative easing and a new round of cheap loans which could pump £100bn of [...]
Simples: Comparethemarket.com owner chooses banks to oversee stock meerkat float August 7, 2016 The owner of Comparethemarket.com has appointed two Wall Street banks to oversee its £2bn-plus London flotation plans. BGL Group is aiming to launch an initial public offering (IPO) in the first quarter of 2017, with JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley now working on the float. Read more: Meet the companies that have ignored London's EU [...]
This German unicorn tech startup could IPO as soon as next year August 7, 2016 Food delivery startup Delivery Hero could go public as soon as next year, its chief executive has revealed. The German startup, a so-called unicorn valued at more than $1bn, could IPO next year but is in "no hurry" and can wait for the right conditions. "Whether it will happen next year? It is quite possible," said [...]
Profitability hits record low for UK’s offshore oil and gas industry August 5, 2016 The UK's oil and gas sector was the least profitable quarter for two decades at the start of the year, figures out this morning have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), said profitability among the UK's "continental shelf" companies – mainly off-shore exploration firms – plunged to 0.2 per cent in the first quarter. [...]
Carney’s Brexit bonanza sends FTSE 100 to a 12-month high August 5, 2016 Stock markets have hit their highest levels of the year on the back of the massive stimulus programme unveiled by the Bank of England yesterday. The FTSE 100 surged 0.6 per cent at the open, adding to a 100-point gain yesterday to stand at 6,780 in mid-morning trading. That took the index to a 12-month high, [...]
Randgold share price falls after it suffers “toughest” second quarter in years August 4, 2016 Shares in Randgold Resources closed down 3.84 per cent to 8,635p today, after the gold miner suffered one of its "toughest" quarters in years. The figures Second quarter profit fell eight per cent year-on-year to $49m (£37.3m) due to decreases in mining, as well as increased exploration expenditure. This came as sales rose slightly to 354.4koz from 354.8koz [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open August 4, 2016 The Bank of England has cut interest rates and markets are loving it. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 2:30pm London time. US stock futures are pointing up ahead of the open. The S&P is up by 0.15 per cent, the Nasdaq is up by 0.05 per cent, while [...]
Here’s how the market reacted to the Bank of England’s interest rate cut August 4, 2016 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has gone above and beyond market expectations with a massive stimulus package and taken an axe to interest rates. The Bank’s monetary policy committed (MPC) voted unanimously to lower interest rates to 0.25 per cent and extended its quantitative easing programme that will add £170bn of cash into the economy, warning growth in the [...]