Shares News

Michael Clarke, This is Money21 February 2006 WITH just weeks to go before the Isa deadline, fund managers are grinding up their marketing machines hoping to draw in investors' cash. FUN FUNDS: Can you match the performance of the likes of Invesco Perpetual's Neil Woodford WANT TO KNOW MORE? MARKET DATA: Fund performance ADVICE & TIPS: Investing CHAT: Shares advice FTSE: Winners & losers SPECIAL REPORT: Isa Centre OTHER STORIES Market report: Tuesday 11. ...

By Steve Slater LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays, Britain's third-biggest bank, said on Tuesday profits jumped 15 percent to a record last year, just beating analysts' forecasts as higher investment banking income offset a big rise in bad debts. Expansion in the bank's international business easily outpaced domestic growth, where it is struggling to turn around the Woolwich mortgage business and lost further market share. Barclays' (BARC.L: Quote, Profile, Research) 2005 pretax profit was 5.28 bi ...

By Steve Slater LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays (BARC.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , third-biggest bank, said on Tuesday profits jumped 15 percent to a record last year, just beating analysts' forecasts as higher investment banking income offset a big rise in bad debts. Expansion in the bank's international business easily outpaced domestic growth, where it is struggling to turn around the Woolwich mortgage business and lost further market share. Barclays' 2005 pretax profit was 5.28 billion poun ...

By Pete Harrison LONDON (Reuters) - Brewer Scottish & Newcastle reported a 9.5 percent increase in profits on Tuesday amid tough trading in France and said it hoped the 2006 World Cup would boost beer consumption. But its shares (SCTN.L: Quote, Profile, Research) fell, the third biggest decliner in the FTSE 100 index, after it warned freezing January weather in Russia had hit sales and the outlook for France remained uncertain. Profit before tax rose to 392 million pounds in 2005 from 358 mi ...

By Miyoung Kim LONDON (Reuters) - Housebuilder George Wimpey (WMPY.L: Quote, Profile, Research) reported a 16 percent decline in underlying profits on Tuesday, in line with its previous forecast, and said there were encouraging signs of recovery in the housing market. But it said rapid growth in the U.S. market, which accounts for nearly 30 percent of group sales and helped Wimpey cushion a 32 percent drop in UK operating profit, had slowed, although its order book remained strong. Wimpey al ...

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The outgoing chief executive of Swedish savings group Skandia (SDIA.ST: Quote, Profile, Research) -- to be replaced by new owner Old Mutual -- said on Tuesday its fourth-quarter results showed the business model he had introduced was working. Skandia, which Old Mutual acquired in a contested $6.5 billion (3.7 billion pound) takeover, posted 1.25 billion Swedish crowns (91,1 ...

Bonus rates on with-profits policies will be maintained this year, the Prudential has announced. The firm, which runs the UK's biggest with-profits fund, said the fund had increased in value by 20% over the past year and is now worth £83bn. As a result, all policies maturing in 2006 would see final payouts increase, the group added. It has 4.5 million policyholders who rely on the fund's performance for their savings, pensions and endowments.  ...

A FLURRY of flotations, fundraisings and other deals involving companies across the globe helped Manchester-based stockbroking and corporate finance firm WH Ireland achieve record profits last year. The company yesterday posted a 22 per cent rise in pre-tax profits for the year to November 30, up from £2.6m to £3.2m, as turnover grew 36 per cent from £16.9m to £23m. WH Ireland also announced a fi ...

THE London Stock Exchange appears to have fought off Macquarie's hostile approaches. The Australian bank has said it will not increase its offer for the company. Sydney-based Macquarie tabled a bid of 580p a share in December but LSE dismissed the offer as "derisory" as its shares later soared to a record high of 848.5p, valuing it at £2.16bn. It was thought that Macquarie would up its of ...

STEVE Parkin's ambitious plan to grow his Yorkshire-based logistics group into a £500m-turnover business in five years is codenamed Project Lionheart.Lionheart is the name of retail baron Philip Green's luxury yacht, and it was he who gave the young Parkin one of his first breaks in business.The pair still meet regularly, and Green has been a source of typically pithy advice.While both share a shr ...