The Markets The UK manufacturing sector appeared to have picked up pace in January according to the latest PMI survey of industrial firms. The index rose to 53 for the month, up from an upwardly revised 52.7 in December. Activity increased by more than many analysts had expected, but companies cut prices at the fastest…
Evil discusses Quindell… At 12.30 today Quindell has come up with the following: “Press speculation Quindell Plc (AIM: QPP.L) announces that, contrary to speculation, the exclusivity arrangements with Slater & Gordon Limited in respect of the possible disposal of an operating division of the Group (“Exclusivity”) continue and discussions are on-going. There can be no…
Tax remains one of the great taboo areas of finance, and the most controversial along political lines. Since the financial crisis seven years ago this situation has only become more in focus. After all, where did the money come from to bail out the banks? The taxpayer. But where has the money gone from the…
“Once bitten twice shy” is a cliche which could be applied quite well to the FTSE 350 mining companies. Of course, as far as this asset class is concerned “50 times bitten, a hundred times shy” is probably a more appropriate analysis of what investors have seen over the past few years. The problem has…
by Was Shakoor I am a bondholder in Afren (AFR), having bought in size in recent days as the company has revealed its cash flow problems. I haven’t bought very well, I’m afraid, paying far too much early last week at 41c, although I did add significantly at 34c, without paying accrued interest into the…
Evil discusses the FTSE, gold miners, Outsourcery, Mitie, Afren, loonie/USD, the election, and rural crime… As it happens, aside from going short of FTSE pursuant to the Crispin Odey-inspired message of doom last week, I am long gold and gold shares such as, you guessed it, Orosur (OMI). But I decline to get involved with…
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The Markets The Eurozone has seen a rise in the level of deflation during January, as prices dropped to a level 0.6% lower than a year ago, according to the latest flash estimate from Eurostat. This is against analysts’ expectations, with a Reuters poll suggesting that consensus forecasts were looking for 0.5% inflation. Teumis Brosens…
By Dave Evans of Binary.com Oil Price Slide Heaps More Pressure on Canada Almost forgotten amidst the ECB’s recent big QE announcement and the Greek election result has been the decision by the Bank of Canada to cut rates to 0.75% in January. The key driver for this was the sudden plunge in oil prices,…
With many companies facing a dearth of new investment prospects in an environment where borrowing costs are at historic lows, share buybacks have become increasingly popular as a means to push earnings higher. In theory, buybacks can be good news for investors. A company that uses excess funds to mop-up shares on the open market…
