Whitbread Q1 trading update confirms solid start to year – remains in the GrowthRater portfolio The recent consumption data for May from VISA that I highlighted earlier in the month which showed a relatively buoyant YoY growth in expenditure of +3.3% for Hotels, Restaurants and Bars was also reflected in Whitbread’s Q1 trading update. While […]
Continue reading
Energy politics makes for fickle friends. A decade ago, Qatar was the US administration’s BFF, with its invitation to relocate the US regional military base from Saudi Arabia to Qatar in return for support to secure a pipeline access through Syria for its soon to be expanding natural gas production. As a way of pricking […]
Continue reading
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 […]
Continue reading
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 […]
Continue reading
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” . […]
Continue reading
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 […]
Continue reading
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 […]
Continue reading
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 […]
Continue reading