Shares News

LONDON (Reuters) - Mortgage bank Alliance & Leicester (AL.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday cost cutting helped give a small boost to profits in 2005 as revenue growth remained sluggish, and it planned to buy back shares this year. A&L said its core operating profit rose last year to 548 million pounds from 540 million in 2004. Seven analysts polled by Reuters had on average forecast a result of 538 million pounds. The country's seventh-biggest listed bank reported total income of  ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Persimmon, Britain's biggest housebuilder, reported a 5.9 percent rise in its pretax profit on Monday, as higher sales and tight control on building costs offset increased sales incentives. Persimmon (PSN.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , which joined the FTSE 100 index in December and was the biggest riser in 2005 with an 82 percent advance, also said 2006 had got off to a good  ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Alliance & Leicester said on Monday cost cutting helped give a small boost to profits in 2005 as revenue growth remained sluggish, and it planned to buy back shares this year. A&L (AL.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said its core operating profit rose last year to 548 million pounds from 540 million in 2004. Seven analysts polled by Reuters had on average forecast a result of 538 million pounds. Britain's seventh-biggest listed bank reported total income of 1.388 billion poun ...

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Mobile giant Vodafone (VOD.L: Quote, Profile, Research) will compulsorily acquire shares it does not already own in South African investment firm VenFin (VNFJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research) and terminate its listing, the firm said on Monday. Vodafone said in a statement VenFin shares will be suspended from its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange from Tuesday and that t ...

TOKYO (Reuters) - Panasonic brand maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (6752.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it plans to introduce its first digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera later this year, aiming to grab a slice of the fast-growing market. The world's biggest consumer electronics maker has been developing technologies and devices for digital SLR cameras jointly ...

By Risa Maeda TOKYO (Reuters) - The Nikkei average rose 0.13 percent on Monday morning, paring earlier gains as some exporters, such as Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , were sold after the yen rallied to a one-month high against the dollar. Anticipation of an early end to the Bank of Japan's ultra-easy monetary policy sent the dollar below 116 yen in late morning trade, its weake ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays (BARC.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , the country's third-largest bank, is drawing up overseas acquisition plans including possibly bidding for Banco Urquijo in Spain and Bank of Alexandria in Egypt, The Business said on Sunday. The paper also quoted unidentified banking sources as saying Barclay is evaluating targets in Italy and other high-growth markets. A Barclays spokesman said the bank does not comment on market speculation. The paper said Barclays is believed ...

Daniel Boffey, Mail on Sunday26 February 2006 THE Government is considering selling off detailed information about people's homes gathered by council tax inspectors. WANT TO KNOW MORE? SWITCH & SAVE: Fuel bills DEAL FINDER: Mortgages OTHER STORIES Free broadband in two years A-Z of the Sunday newspapers Sunday newspaper share tips Waitrose's green light for food labels Pressur ...

Teena Lyons, Mail on Sunday26 February 2006 DISCOUNT clothing chain Primark will this week confirm its status as one of Britain's fastest-growing retailers. The chain, owned by thebnaire Weston family's Associated British Foods, will report another strong period of sales growth in its trading statement tomorrow. SITTING PRETTY: Primark has stolen market share from rivals WANT TO KNOW MORE? BLOG: Bored of the High Street DEAL FINDER: Find cachback credit cards DEAL FINDER: C ...

Dan Atkinson, Mail on Sunday26 February 2006 EXCESSIVE regulation could effectively kill off Gordon Brown's flagship plan for tax-efficient property funds, due to be unveiled in next month's Budget. WANT TO KNOW MORE? FUNDS: Compare funds performance ADVICE & TIPS: Investing EXPERTS: Why Reits? OTHER STORIES Free broadband in two years Anglo-US defence deals in jeopardy Market ...