Investors Chronicle back issues from April 2006:
The honesty black hole.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Can't they agree on anything? You'd think that when it came to something as important as the future of the UK savings regime they could present a united front, and demonstrate a shared will to face up to the issue. But that's just too much to ask, isn't it? So, instead, we get briefing and ...
Back to biotech.
Apr 07, 2006 ... The increasing recognition of bioscience was demonstrated last year when the industry experienced its most successful month to date in financial terms, completing deals with a headline value of more than GBP750m in December. These deals included a variety of early and late-stage ...
I love my Sipp.
Apr 07, 2006 ... As David Stevenson explained at length in the excellent Masterclass supplement with last week's investors chronicle, self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) offer many advantages. But, from where I sit, one is head and shoulders above all the others: they enable you to build a pension ...
Gilt-edged no-brainer.
Apr 07, 2006 ... It's always nice to imagine that there are no-brain ways to make money. And right now, the no-brain investment solution is surely to short-sell gilts - UK government bonds - on the expectation that their prices will fall. If - or hopefully when - that happens, whatever contractual ...
Keeping mum.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Tuesday 3 January - New Year, new chances First trading day of the New Year. January, they say, is the best month of the year in the stock market. Let's hope so. Since last Thursday, I've had a GBP3-per-point up-bet riding on the Nasdaq Composite Index on Wall Street, with a ...
Home and dry.
Apr 07, 2006 ... A quick viewing of the UK housebuilders' sector leaves most investors admiring its resilient architecture. Twelve months ago, there were fears that an impending collapse in house prices would leave builders with a glut of empty houses and no customers. Rather than collapsing, however, the ...
NTL finds Virgin irresistable.
Apr 07, 2006 ... By adding Virgin Mobile to its business empire, NTL hopes to give consumers even greater choice. For example, if completed, the GBP962.4m takeover will allow NTL to offer its customers an unrivalled package of mobile and fixed-line phone services, as well as broadband internet connection ...
Pressure on Freeport pays off.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Sean Collidge, the chairman and chief executive of Freeport, the property group under siege from activist investor Laxey Partners, has resigned. Mr Collidge's resignation follows shareholder rejection of Freeport's plans to move its headquarters offshore last December. Laxey, ...
Goldenport gets float away.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Following a ditched float attempt last December, Greek shipping company Goldenport joined the main market this week. The placing price of 235p gives the company a market capitalisation of GBP164.2m, with GBP60m of new cash being raised to repay debt ...
London clubs' diplomatic farewell.
Apr 07, 2006 ... With its Les Ambassadeurs casino just sold, London Clubs International (LCI) now has a much smaller, but more predictable, business. The venue suffered last year following the London bombings and as a result of some punters winning big, while others failed to settle their ...
Easyjet nosedives on Icelandair sale.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Hopes of a bid approach for low-cost carrier easyJet were dashed this week when Icelandair owner FL Group sold its 16.9 per cent stake. FL Group said that, although it still thinks easyJet has a bright future, the company wants to pursue other investment ...
Severn Trent set to split from Biffa.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Following a strategic review, Severn Trent has announced plans to demerge its Biffa waste-management business. The split, which is subject to shareholder approval, should complete by the year-end. Biffa will then join the FTSE 250 and the water business, Severn Trent, will ...
Profits continue to pour in at Pennon.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Water and waste-management group Pennon has confirmed that trading remains in line with expectations. The water business is on track to meet regulatory targets, while Viridor waste-management continues to grow operating profits and has won ...
Patientline calls time on chairman.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Patientline, which provides bedside telephone, television and internet access to hospital patients, has ended its war with major shareholder Shore Capital by caving in to its demands. As a result, Derek Lewis has been removed as chairman with immediate effect - he was due to retire in ...
US slowdown dampens profit growth.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Economists fear US profit growth could slow down this year. However, analysts expect S&P 500 operating earnings per share to increase by 11.2 per cent this year, after rising 12.4 per cent in 2005. But Morgan Stanley's Richard Berner foresees only 7.5 per cent growth in 2006, despite a ...
Decision time for splits victims.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Investors who claimed compensation for losses on split-capital investment trusts (splits) to the Financial Services Authority's reparation fund have until 15 May to accept their offers. Eligible investors in certain zero-dividend shares have been offered 40 per cent ...
Momentum investors are on a roll.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Momentum investing is paying well. Had you bought the FTSE 350's 20 best-performing stocks in the final quarter of 2005 on 31 December, you'd have made 17.7 per cent in the first quarter - beating all but one actively managed all-company unit trust. In fact, in the ...
Smaller company brokers buoyed by raft of Aim floats.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Smaller-company brokers have been making hay while the sun shines, buoyed by the flood of company floats over the past year - but there are rumblings of discontent in the investment community. In the past week, both Daniel Stewart Securities, which is listed on the Alternative ...
Aim cracks down on shells.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim's crackdown on smaller cash shells resulted in 38 companies being suspended on Monday morning. The companies now have a six-month stay of execution in which to conclude a deal before their listings will be cancelled. Of those suspended, 13 issued announcements detailing ...
32Red raises GBP5.3m.
Apr 07, 2006 ... 32Red has raised GBP5.3m (before costs) through a discounted placing to institutions at 140p a share. The money raised will be used to increase online and offline marketing. The company also plans to ...
Ten Alps to buy McMillan-Scott.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Television producer Ten Alps is moving into the contract magazine publishing market. It has agreed to buy McMillan-Scott, a leader in publishing magazines for the public sector, for up to GBP12.25m. Chief executive Alex Connock sees the move as a way into a new ...
Ceramic Fuel Cells passes key milestone.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Ceramic Fuel Cells has passed a key milestone in the field trials of its fuel-cell-driven Combined Heat and Power (CHP) microgeneration units, designed to replace boilers in peoples' homes. Its units in Australia, ...
Peter Hambro suffers from increased costs.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Shares in Peter Hambro suffered their biggest one-day drop since May 2004 after the company announced that increased cost pressures would adversely affect full-year results, due out later this month. Management said that fuel, energy and plant ...
Bema wins Kupol approval.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Bema Gold is to start drawing down a $400m (GBP228m) project finance loan facility later this month, after Russian federal authorities gave the green light to the company's Kupol gold mine in Siberia. On completion, Kupol is expected to produced ...
Plugging the gap.
Apr 07, 2006 ... One day, the men of Sherwood, the clothing manufacturer, thought it would be a good idea to distribute some spare cash among their merry band of shareholders. But that is about as far as they were allowed to go. Up popped the pensions regulator with the bad news that most of the spare cash ...
Week Ahead...
Apr 07, 2006 ... News MONDAY 10 APRIL Structural steelwork group Severfield-Rowen reports full-year results. The group's high-profile contract for steel at Heathrow Terminal 5 is now winding down, but the order book is still solid, with contracts including the new grandstand at ...
Takeovers under threat from Euro rule changes.
Apr 07, 2006 ... New laws allowing employees' unions to defend takeover bids are about to be introduced in the UK, threatening the attractiveness of utilities, telecoms and engineering groups as bid targets. At the moment, the City is getting excited about a potential private-equity bid for ...
Construction survey hits the roof.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Business confidence in the construction industry has hit an 18-month high, according to industry body the Construction Products Association (CPA). The CPA's quarterly Barometer Survey, which is a leading indicator of prospects for the construction industry, climbed above the 50 ...
Hot property for pensions.
Apr 07, 2006 ... In a dramatic U-turn, the chancellor has decided to allow direct residential property to be held inside self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) after all. Investors were disappointed last December when Gordon Brown dropped proposals to allow buy-to-let properties inside Sipps. The only ...
BHP reaps Chinese rewards.
Apr 07, 2006 ... The visit of Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao to Australia has provided a boost for BHP Billiton. Mr Wen announced that his government will not interfere with negotiations for benchmark Chinese iron-ore import contracts, on which BHP and Rio Tinto should now reap price rises. BHP will ...
Boots looking good and smelling sweet.
Apr 07, 2006 ... In a trading update, Boots revealed that underlying like-for-like sales at Boots The Chemist rose by 1.5 per cent in the fourth quarter, with sales in cosmetics and fragrance performing particularly strongly, rising by 10.4 per cent. This was a ...
Kingston calls off takeover talks.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Hull-based telecoms group Kingston Communications has called off takeover talks after failing to agree a price with an unnamed suitor, widely rumoured to be private-equity outfit The Carlyle Group. The discussions, which started last November, were finally called off on suggestions that ...
ALPHA AIRPORTS GROUP (AAP).
Apr 07, 2006 ... After a disappointing first six months, Alpha pulled its socks up in the second half of last year. Thanks to cost-cutting, pre-tax profits before exceptional items rose from GBP17.4m to GBP18.5m. Start-up costs for a new contract with American Airlines led to a decline in ...
PHOQUS (PQS).
Apr 07, 2006 ... Phoqus floated on Aim last November at 140p a share, raising GBP10m to fund development and commercialisation of its drug-coating technology. The company has a portfolio of collaborations with leading drug companies, including four secured since flotation, and now plans to extend the use ...
Hat Pin.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. These results cover just one of three businesses that the group now owns ....
Sales at Topps Tiles take a tumble.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Tiling specialist Topps Tiles announced that underlying sales for the six months to 1 April fell 4.2 per cent, although they rose 0.9 per cent in last five weeks of the period. The board expects to report first-half profits before tax of around GBP19.75m on 23 May. ...
Hydrodec.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. The company raised GBP3.5m in November to help fund a new ...
Irish Estates.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Acquisition opportunities are being ...
Jarvis Securities.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Although sales rose, profits were hit by product development costs ...
Lewis Charles Sofia Prop. Fund.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. The fund has now invested 36.8 per cent of the E52m it raised, and has ...
Interquest.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Following the Aim listing in May, sales and profits were up ...
Lonrho Africa.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Under new management, Lonrho Africa has started to reinvest in Africa, rather than ...
Metals Exploration.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Metals Exploration looks to have a good asset in the ground at ...
North Midland Construction.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Main market. The civil engineering business won some large contracts from the water ...
Oilexco.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Oilexco was the most active operator of exploration and appraisal wells in the North ...
Parity.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Main market. After US business Spearhead failed to make an offer for the company, Parity is ...
Pixology.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. The shares jumped on these results because they were accompanied by news of a ...
Proximagen Neuroscience.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Proximagen signed six service contracts. The company is focusing principally ...
RC.
Apr 07, 2006 ... See ...
Ridge Mining.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Ridge continues to make progress with its two key projects. The Sheba's Ridge nickel project ...
GETMOBILE EUROPE (GETM).
Apr 07, 2006 ... Getmobile - which reversed into cash shell Fitzwilliam last August - sells mobile phone contracts over the internet and on television in Germany. But the company was forced to admit in October that it would not achieve the sort of sales growth that it had originally signalled ....
Serabi Mining.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Serabi provides only a partial segmental analysis of production and revenues. Some 12 ...
Sound Oil.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. The company evaluated several offshore propositions in Africa, but was unable to do a ...
Southernera Diamonds.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. SouthernEra certainly has extensive landholdings but, having split from ...
Qualceram Shires.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Main market. Qualceram was hit by a combination of tough market conditions and rising energy ...
Sportswinbet.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Sportswinbet has been granted an e-gaming licence by the Alderney Gambling Control ...
Tepnel Life Sciences.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. The business has been focused into two divisions: Molecular Diagnostics and Research ...
Plectrum Petroleum.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Plectrum came to Aim via a reverse takeover of Table Mountain Minerals last September. It ...
VISLINK (VLK).
Apr 07, 2006 ... Vislink's technology can be used in a variety of applications, from monitoring oil leaks in the dark to broadcasting from battlefields. And business has boomed lately, leading to a surge in adjusted profits last year from GBP2.55m to GBP8.35m. Major changes in the way that US ...
Universe.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. The foreign exchange business has been rationalised, and the money transfer ...
All IPO.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Online initial ...
Ardent.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim ....
Tescom Software Sys. Testing.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim. Tescom had a difficult year. The completion of major contracts left the company ...
Coe.
Apr 07, 2006 ... Aim ....
WORLD GAMING (WGP).
Apr 07, 2006 ... The acquisition of Sportsbetting.com in October promises to transform software and services provider World Gaming into a fully fledged online gambling operator. The company paid $81.8m (GBP47m) for Sportsbetting, but the deal had an immediate effect on World Gaming's ...