FTSE 100 index opens down on miners and oil companies December 30, 2015 The FTSE 100 index opened lower this morning, led by mining and oil companies which extended losses made yesterday. The UK's top blue-chip index opened 0.51 per cent lower at 6,280 points, with BHP Billiton and Glencore leading the pack lower. The pair fell 1.47 per cent to 764.8p per share and 1.57 per cent to [...]
Moody’s slices Noble’s rating to junk as commodity rout deepens December 30, 2015 Moody's downgraded Asia-focused commodities trader Noble to junk status with a negative outlook yesterday, due to concerns about the company's profitability in the face of the plunging commodities prices. Moody's cut Noble's senior unsecured bond ratings to Ba1, which is junk status, from Baa3. It also gave a Ba1 corporate family rating to Noble, despite its cost-cutting efforts such as [...]
UK house price growth hit an eight month high in December, Nationwide House Price Index finds December 30, 2015 December was a bumper month for property as house prices experienced their biggest monthly rise in eight months, new figures reveal. House prices in the UK grew 0.8 per cent on November, the largest increase since April when prices rose one per cent on the previous month, with the average price coming in at £196,999 at the [...]
House prices: The UK’s homes rose in value by £1.4bn a day in 2015 December 30, 2015 Like big numbers? Read on… The UK's homes rose in value by £1.4bn a day in 2015, giving our collective bricks and mortar a total value of £7.76 trillion by the end of the year, according to figures by online property portal Zoopla. That figure is £519bn – or 7.2 per cent – higher than last [...]
Amazon share price touches record high after adding three million Prime members over Christmas December 29, 2015 Shares in Amazon have touched a record high after a stellar performance over the Christmas period. In morning trading, Nasdaq-listed shares in the online retailer and increasingly jack-of-all-trades touched $694.55, an intraday all-time high, after reporting record sales of devices and Prime membership over the festive season. More than three million members joined Amazon Prime in the third [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 index closes up on Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey December 29, 2015 The FTSE 100 index edged higher in the first trading day since Christmas, led higher by Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey. The UK's top blue-chip index closed 0.96 per cent higher at 6,314 points, despite losses by miners, which had benefited from a dead cat bounce in the build-up to Christmas. Read more: Oil prices crawl back up [...]
FTSE 100 index edges higher, despite falls in mining stocks December 29, 2015 The FTSE 100 index opened slightly higher on the first day of trading after Christmas, despite falls in mining and oil stocks that had rallied in the build-up to the festive period. The UK's top blue-chip index opened 0.24 per cent up at 6,271 points, led higher by Hikma Pharmaceuticals and Berkeley Group. Read more: FTSE 100 [...]
The UK’s spending power fell to its lowest in 12 months in November December 29, 2015 It seems the UK's shoppers are feeling less flush, after a new survey found they had £193 of spare cash last month – that's £14 a week, compared with November last year. But while Asda's Income Tracker suggested weekly income has now risen by double digits for 13 months in a row, it was lower than the £17 [...]
Valeant creates office of chief executive officer after announcing CEO Pearson is to go on medical leave December 28, 2015 Valeant Pharmaceuticals has announced that its chief executive J. Michael Pearson will be taking a leave of absence, effective immediately, following his hospitalisation last week. Last week Valeant confirmed that Pearson was being treated for a "severe case of pneumonia". Read more: Valeant severs ties with Philidor following share price plunge To serve in the [...]
Newham is the UK’s top house price performer for 2015 December 28, 2015 Newham has taken the accolade for the UK's top house price performer in 2015, according to new research by Halifax. The borough recorded the biggest percentage rise in house prices among all major UK towns and cities over 2015, with the average house price in the borough rising 22 per cent against the previous year. The average [...]