Business Analysis & Features
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Manchester supercasino: Britain's house of cards
Published: 04 February 2007
The Week Ahead: Three cheers for Glaxo. We'll all need a tonic if rates go up
Published: 04 February 2007
It will be another week in which the world's biggest money-spinners - oil companies, drugmakers and miners - get to show just how good they are at generating mountains of cash.
Market Report: Investors strike a light for Imperial takeover
Published: 03 February 2007
City punters made a huge amount of money betting on a bid for Sainsbury's last week. When the news of private equity interest in the supermarkets group arrived yesterday morning, many cashed in their chips and then went hunting the market for the next most likely company to be taken over. They settled on Imperial Tobacco, 83p higher at 2,175p.
Henry Juszkiewicz: Gibson, from requiem to mass profits
Published: 03 February 2007
The tangled tale at Torex Retail that caught the City by complete surprise
Published: 02 February 2007
The software developer Torex Retail has found itself in the spotlight over the past week as a result of a scandal which looks set to eclipse the woes of its former parent iSoft in 2006.
Market Report: J Sainsbury at seven-year high after family sale
Published: 02 February 2007
Large share sales by the Sainsbury family are rare and the fact that it remains the company's largest shareholder means that merger and acquisition speculation is always tempered by the family holdings. So yesterday's confirmation that a blind trust run on behalf of Lord Sainsbury has sold 40 million shares, 3 per cent of the company, raised quite a number of eyebrows.
The Investment Column: GCap feels the pain as London listeners switch off Capital
Published: 02 February 2007
The Investment Column: Smiths has done well - it's time to take profits
Published: 01 February 2007
Market Report: Troubled Misys hardens on broker upgrade
Published: 01 February 2007
It has been a strange six months for the software group Misys. Back in October, Kevin Lomax, the founder and chief executive, was forced to resign after failing to make a high enough bid for the company. His resignation came with a profit warning and the group has warned twice since then.
Blackpool may not be only loser in high-stakes casino game
Published: 31 January 2007
While the burghers of Blackpool made dark hints about lobbying for a parliamentary rebellion after its bid to host Britain's first supercasino was trashed, another decaying seaside town was celebrating wildly.
The Investment Column: Future has a Spring in its step, but is best avoided for now
Published: 31 January 2007
Market Report: Halfords riding high as bid rumours mount
Published: 31 January 2007
It is just under three years since Halfords, the bicycle and car accessories retailer, was floated by the private-equity group CVC Capital Partners. Since then the shares have performed well in an increasingly tough retail environment, returning patient shareholders just under 40 per cent. The word is that another change of ownership could be on the cards with a handful of private-equity groups mulling a bid for the group.
Microsoft milks the cow one last time with Vista
Published: 30 January 2007
Market Report: Yell shares worth shouting about, says broker
Published: 30 January 2007
In the three years since the private equity group Apax Partners brought Yell to the stock market, the shares have performed wonders, more than doubling to close at 608p yesterday, 9p firmer on the session. The US investment bank Merrill Lynch believes the shares have further to go and reiterated its " buy" advice with a price target of 670p.
The Week Ahead: BSkyB boosted by 200,000 new subscribers
Published: 29 January 2007
Broadcaster BSkyB is expected to say on Wednesday that it is well on the way to 10 million subscribers, its target for 2010, with some 200,000 expected to be added for the second quarter results, which includes the Christmas period, taking the total to 8.5 million.
Power cut for clean energy
Published: 28 January 2007
The Week Ahead: BA at loggerheads as the City checks in for half-time results
Published: 28 January 2007
It's going to be a rough week for Willie Walsh. The chief executive of British Airways will be facing a host of questions from investors on Friday when the airline unveils interim results. And chief among these concerns could well be the threatened strike by cabin crew workers that has already caused BA to cancel all flights from Gatwick and Heathrow on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
Klaus Schwab: The secret of Schwab's success
Published: 27 January 2007
Market Report: Takeover talk returns to liven up Woolworths
Published: 26 January 2007
Shareholders of the general retailer Woolworths can be forgiven for feeling a bit of takeover fatigue, given the number of times the company has been linked with a bidder only for it to struggle on alone.
The Investment Column: Tighter corporate rules in US help Autonomy progress
Published: 26 January 2007
Market Report: Traders build case for imminent Hanson bid
Published: 25 January 2007
Rumours about a bid for Hanson, the building materials supplier, have done the rounds on and off for the best part of a year, but the story is again gathering momentum as traders bet it is only a matter of time before a predator goes public.
The Investment Column: Johnson Matthey has benefited from climate concerns and is worth buying
Published: 25 January 2007
Giants of £125bn grocery sector under fire
Published: 24 January 2007
Faced with mounting concerns over the relentless rise of the supermarket and fears that local shops were being squeezed out of the marketplace, the Office of Fair Trading was forced to refer the £125bn grocery retail sector to the Competition Commission.
Market Report: A grey day for BSkyB as broker says 'sell'
Published: 24 January 2007
Next week sees second-quarter subscriber figures from the broadcaster BSkyB, and, although the company is expected to report decent growth, the broker Dresdner Kleinwort sees tougher times ahead.
The Investment Column: Logica's share price fall is over-reaction to mixed results
Published: 24 January 2007
