Pets at Home hit a record low on Thursday amid fears of a profit warning with its full-year results this month. Morgan Stanley slashed earnings forecasts for Pets at Home’s 2018 financial year to reflect margin pressure, continued weak sales and rising costs. So-called “category killer” specialist retailers need high gross margins to be economically viable because they suffer from low sales densities and slow stock turn, […]
By John McCrank | NEW YORK NEW YORK Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) will launch a new private stock-trading venue, known as a “dark pool,” on Friday, that is run by exchange operator Nasdaq Inc (NDAQ.O), according to a note to clients obtained by Reuters. Goldman has been refreshing its trading technology to become more competitive in its electronic stock execution business, and hired Nasdaq last year […]
Adjustments to closely tracked corporate bond indices have “clear” trading and pricing impacts, a new study from credit rating agency Fitch showed on Thursday. The US rating agency found that changes to the Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Index earlier this year resulted in “dramatic increases” in trading volumes for bonds set to be dropped from the index and that prices for those bonds underperformed larger credits. Bloomberg […]
The developer of an easy-to-use form of customisable ransomware has massively expanded their activities, expanding their arsenal of cybercriminal tools and making it even easier for would-be cyber crooks to set up operations. First spotted in September last year, Philadelphia ransomware is simple to deploy and at $400, is a relatively low-cost investment for entry-level cybercriminals, who also get support and updates as part of a ‘ransomware-as-a-service’ […]
A thief, your kids skipping school or paranormal activity? That’s the question that Lighthouse aims to answer with its new interactive assistant. By combining sophisticated sensors with computer vision technology, the Lighthouse team hopes to deliver an experience that brings more day-to-day value than a mere home security solution. Coming out of Stealth today, the company is equipped with $17 million in venture capital financing from Eclipse Ventures, Playground Global, […]
For the 3rd month in a row, US Producer Prices have risen at a faster rate than The Fed’s mandate. April healdine PPI rose 2.5% YoY – the most since Feb 2012, and well above the highest anayst estimate, despite disinflationary credit impulse pressures from China being seen in industrial metals. The biggest driver is surging costs for investment advice! Core PPI (ex food and energy) rose […]
BT’s own goals cost the boss dearly. FT Opening Quote, with commentary by Matthew Vincent, is your early Square Mile briefing. You can sign up for the full newsletter here. Two months ago, all Paris St Germain had to do to reach the quarter finals of the European Champions League was not concede three goals in the final 2 minutes of their match against Barcelona. Barcelona’s ensuing […]
By Nandita Bose | WHEATON, Ill. WHEATON, Ill. German grocery chain Aldi Inc is trying to beat the world’s biggest retailer at its own game: low prices. Already with 1,600 U.S. stores, Aldi has set a minimum target of selling groceries at a 21 percent discount to its U.S. rivals, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), Chief Executive Jason Hart told Reuters. His strategy, previously unreported, centers on […]
11 May 2017 The Bahrain based leading Islamic banking group, Al Baraka Banking Group B.S.C (ABG) announced that it achieved a total operating income of US$ 249 million during the first quarter of 2017 and the total financing and investments recorded slight increases at the end of March 2017 compared to end of December 2016. Al Baraka Banking Group has continued during the first quarter of 2017, […]
By Douglas Busvine | DHARAMSALA, India DHARAMSALA, India Top U.S. lawmakers delivered a blunt message to China on Wednesday that they would not relent in their campaign to protect human rights in Tibet, calling for legislative and trade steps to press home their point. Nancy Pelosi, leading a bipartisan Congressional delegation to meet the Dalai Lama, vowed to stand by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader even as […]
Stock markets in the Asia Pacific region were mixed on Thursday as energy stocks enjoyed a boost from improved crude prices. In Sydney the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.7 per cent as energy stocks climbed 1.1 per cent. Shares in major banks were recovering from a drop brought on by a new levy announced on Tuesday night, with National Australia Bank up 1.1 per cent. Tokyo’s Topix […]
By Nichola Saminather | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Asian stocks rose early on Thursday, getting a lift from a record high close on MSCI’s global stocks benchmark after strong gains in oil prices buoyed energy stocks globally. Oil prices held on to 3 percent-plus overnight gains, their biggest one-day jump since Dec. 1, following a steep drop in U.S. inventories and support from Iraq and Algeria for an extension […]
Xped executive chairman Athan Lekkas (Image: Supplied) Australian Securities Exchange-listed Internet of Things (IoT) company Xped has announced that it is purchasing fellow Adelaide-based artificial intelligence (AI) company Jemsoft for AU$200,000 in cash and 50 million Xped shares. The total value of the deal comes to AU$900,000, with Xped shares priced at 14 cents per share. In addition to acquiring all of Jemsoft’s intellectual property — including […]
Just hours after the Fed’s March “dovish” rate hike, when stocks paradoxically surged to all time highs and yields tumbled, Goldman found something strange: “surprisingly, financial markets took the meeting as a large dovish surprise—the third-largest at an FOMC meeting since 2000 outside the financial crisis, based on the co-movement of different asset prices.” Even more surprising is that according to Goldman, its financial conditions index, “eased […]
Snap fell short of Wall Street’s expectations in its first quarterly results as a public company, sending its shares tumbling by almost a quarter in value in after-hours trading to hit a new low. The maker of the Snapchat app reported revenue growth of 286 per cent to $149.6m but analysts had been expecting almost $10m more than that. Losses were also wider than forecasts. Daily active […]
Retailers were among Wednesday’s biggest gainers, with Next and AB Foods both in demand on broker upgrades. Next climbed 1.7 per cent to £44.01 on the back of an Investec upgrade to “buy”. Investors have been too preoccupied by Next’s short-term trading and have missed its active estate management, Investec said. Rather than focus on refurbishments, Next has been opening and closing stores to adapt to the […]
Oil prices extended their gains after a report showed US crude stockpiles fell by the biggest margin since December and were down for the fifth straight week. Inventories of US crude fell by 5.25m barrels in the week ended May 5, according to the Energy Information Administration. That topped forecasts for a draw of 1.9m barrels. This was the largest streak of back-to-back declines in US oil […]
By Yashaswini Swamynathan U.S. stocks were slightly lower on Wednesday, dragged down by Walt Disney’s disappointing results, while investors turned cautious after President Donald Trump fired his FBI chief. Disney (DIS.N) fell 2.5 percent and was the top drag on the Dow and the S&P 500 after the media company reported quarterly revenue below analysts’ expectations. Trump said he fired FBI Director James Comey, who had been […]
A “very limited number” of extra Ed Sheeran tickets will go on sale tomorrow [Thursday May 11] following “record breaking” demand for the star’s concert in Dubai last this year. However promoters have remained tight-lipped about the price and category of the additional tickets, or the capacity of the hotly anticipated November 23 gig. Promoters 117Live announced this morning [Wednesday May 10] that all tickets in all […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Sean Hannity, the eight-figure archetype of selective moral outrage, last night charged the press with going “completely insane” over the James Comey firing. Hannity accused it of “selective moral outrage,” proving it takes one to know one amid wall-to-wall Comey […]
Air Arabia has renewed plans that were put on hold after a dip in demand to expand its fleet, with the biggest discount carrier in the Gulf and North Africa encouraged by rebounding sales at its Moroccan unit. The airline, an Airbus SE A320 operator, could reach a decision on new jets as early as this year or into 2018, Chief Executive Officer Adel Ali said in […]
The Indian government issued an ordinance at the end of last week laying out some new powers for the Reserve Bank of India, powers which are aimed at chipping away at the country’s mammoth and thoroughly discussed bad loan problem. Here’s CreditSights with a brief explanation: In essence, two additional sections 35AA and 35AB were introduced into the Banking Regulation Act. 35AA will allow the government […]
10 May 2017 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Jannah Hotels & Resorts’ award-winning flagship hotel, Jannah Burj Al Sarab played host to the ultimate Iftar preview party for the media delegation of the UAE and the GCC on 7 May. The all-day restaurant The Dining Room specializing in French and Mediterranean cuisine, served an extensive menu of Middle Eastern and International dishes for the Iftar buffet […]
Saudis often liken Aramco, the kingdom’s state oil company, to a fat cow or productive hen. The company has for decades been the bedrock of the economy and the enabler of the government largesse to which Saudis have grown accustomed. Now its future has become a source of concern as disquiet grows over plans by Mohammed bin Salman, the deputy crown prince, to sell a 5 per […]
