Theresa may have to eat crow when she dines with newly elected Macron tomorrow, but the more immediate driver to markets this week will be whether the Fed raises rates on Wednesday despite weak inflation, GDP and net job growth. For the UK, weak sterling and consumer expenditure growth figures from VISA suggest continued pressure […]
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So what now? The nightmare scenario, whereby Labour could form a Government looks unlikely. With 317 out of the 648 seats (of the 650 seats total) now counted, the Tories are clearly short of an overall majority, but with their historic allies, the DUP with 10 seats they can just scrape through, particularly should Sinn […]
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Agency AGM trading statements continue to provide mixed signals on trading into early 2017 . WPP – April organic net sales growth remains below +1%, notwithstanding the late Easter and election effect . M&C Saatchi – “2017 has started well” . […]
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Oh Theresa, why oh why? Was it personal ambition and vanity that led you to risk an overall party majority for what YouGov is now projecting will be another hung Parliament, including the possibility of a Labour led administration? And this would not be the Labour of Blair or Brown, but a return to the […]
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Is the BLS letting markets down gently that the US economy sucks and to kiss goodbye to a rate hike in June? Beyond the boost in February from renewed shale fracking and an exceptionally mild winter (on mining and construction job formation), US job growth into 2017 has been dire. I’m not referring to the […]
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Informa (inf_l) – Plan B still looks the more attractive option . This morning’s AGM trading statement for the first four months of 2017 did little more than “re-confirm” FY17 expectations for another year of “growth in revenues, earnings and cash flow”. While welcome, after the more mixed and […]
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DMGT – cheaper, but not compelling this side of the Brexit negotiations UK newspapers, Brexit and a guidance cut is a fairly toxic combination as the new management discovered today as the shares dumped almost 7%/-52p to 700p per share. The actual results being reported (H1 FY17) however, were broadly consistent with what was flagged […]
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Marks & Spencer Plc – FY17 results: – fortunately markets liked the results (+1.5% to 393.4p close), although beyond the 6% OpFCF yield and big dividend there wasn’t much to get too excited about. Having tucked away over £600m in ‘exceptional’ charges over the last couple of years on everything from ‘onerous leases’ to […]
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