Thomas Cook agrees partnership as Chinese Club Med owner takes stake
6th Mar 2015 07:12
Thomas Cook has confirmed that Fosun, the Chinese conglomerate that recently snapped up Club Med, has invested £92m in newly issued shares for a 5% stake in the UK travel group. The FTSE 250-listed company said the pair have formed a strategic partnership to accelerate Thomas Cook's existing growth
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to edge higher ahead of Greek meeting
11th Feb 2015 07:53
UK stocks are expected to open slightly higher on Wednesday after three straight days of losses, though upside will likely be limited as investors await news flow on Greece. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open eight points higher than Tuesday's close of 6,829.12. All eyes will be on the eme
Read moreThomas Cook cuts losses 42% in first results since CEO departure
11th Feb 2015 07:18
In Thomas Cook's first admission of results since chief executive officer (CEO) Harriet Green chose to leave in November, the company revealed that it slashed operational losses by 42% to £73m on a like-for-like basis in the first quarter. Thomas Cook also experienced a revenue increase for the thre
Read moreWednesday preview: Greece in focus as Eurozone finance ministers meet
10th Feb 2015 15:13
All eyes will be on the emergency meeting of Eurogroup finance ministers on Wednesday, where Greece's Yanis Varoufakis will make his debut appearance as he attempts to persuade his peers of the benefits of his bridging programme. The EU is thought likely to propose a six-month extension of the exist
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Mining companies hit by pessimistic analysis from Credit Suisse
15th Dec 2014 14:16
Soco International, Afren and EnQuest all rose on Monday after a slight rebound early on in crude futures. That came after Libya declared "force majeure" at two key ports over the weekend, shutting down export capacity equivalent to 560,000 barrels per day. That seemed to give the energy sector a bo
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Balfour Beatty, Canary Wharf, Vodafone
30th Nov 2014 15:25
Balfour Beatty could be broken up as John Laing Infrastructure Fund considers a billion-pound bid for the company's investment arm, the Sunday Times reported. John Laing is interested in bidding for Balfour's 60 private finance initiative (PFI) contracts. It would leave Balfour with a business worth
Read moreBroker tips: Rolls-Royce, BHP Billiton, Thomas Cook
28th Nov 2014 12:37
Investec has said that management at Rolls-Royce should take decisive action to repair investor confidence which has been "shattered" during 2014. "[The] significant share-price decline this year should be a catalyst for Rolls-Royce's board to reconsider the optimal strategy going forward," the brok
Read moreBerenberg downgrades Thomas Cook on transformation hopes falter
28th Nov 2014 09:29
Berenberg has lowered its rating for Thomas Cook Group (TCG) from 'buy' to 'hold', saying that the travel tour operator's ongoing transformation is "losing its gloss". "We have never been fans of the TCG business model and have always seen this as a structurally challenged industry," the broker said
Read moreTravel stocks soar in London as OPEC choses to maintain output target
27th Nov 2014 20:17
Oil stocks were the clear losers in London on Thursday after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) chose not to cut production despite a global supply glut, sending crude prices to levels not seen since 2010. Brent crude dropped by 6.7% to $72.58 a barrel on the ICE, while West Te
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Thomas Cook, Wolseley
27th Nov 2014 09:05
Thomas Cook reported a pre-tax loss of £114m yesterday, which markets had been expecting to turn into a pre-tax profit of £270m next year. Yet investors were already worried that overcapacity in this sector will hurt the turn-around story. Even if bookings help up prices could suffer. The shock anno
Read moreBroker tips: BT, Sage, Compass, Thomas Cook
26th Nov 2014 12:26
UBS has speculated that if BT follows through with its current talks to buy O2 or EE it would become less aggressive in the forthcoming Premier League rights auction and produce a better outcome for Sky. "We think concerns about Sky losing the EPL rights are weighing on investor sentiment but we are
Read moreLondon midday: Mining stocks and telecoms M&A give FTSE a lift
26th Nov 2014 11:42
Decent gains from miners and M&A speculation in the telecoms sector gave UK stocks a boost on Wednesday, along with data which confirmed that the British economy expanded as expected in the third quarter. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.2% at 6,747 by midday, with resource shares leading the charge, rebo
Read moreCEO exit at Thomas Cook raises fears about turnaround, says IG
26th Nov 2014 10:09
Stockbroker IG has raised concerns with Thomas Cook's ongoing turnaround plan following the news that chief executive Harriet Green has stepped down with immediate effect. The revelation, alongside with a broadly in-line set of annual results, sent shares in the travel group plummeting over 20% on W
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks rise ahead of GDP data, but Thomas Cook sinks
26th Nov 2014 09:21
UK stocks advanced on Wednesday as investors adopted an optimistic approach ahead of gross domestic product (GDP) figures in the UK. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.4% at 6,755 in early deals, with mining stocks leading the charge after recent weakness, though results from blue chips Wolseley, Compass an
Read moreThomas Cook CEO Harriet Green departs as growth outlook clouds over
26th Nov 2014 07:45
Thomas Cook chief executive Harriet Green has stepped down after little more than two years in charge of the troubled travel group, claiming her turnaround "was complete", though the company was more cautious on next year's growth expectations. Green, who was appointed in July 2012 after 'cold-email
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