Company news from ShareCast

• Friday preview: Headlam, T Clarke
  Thu 18 March 2010 17:26
  Floorings specialist Headlam's has already flagged that 2009 revenue reduced by 3.8% compared with the previous year, but a £12m currency benefit and full year contribution from Dutch business Silvester will mean earnings are solid enough.

• Pru boss Thiam declines SocGen post
  Thu 18 March 2010 16:15
  Prudential chief executive Tidjane Thiam has now declined a non-executive directorship at French bank Société Générale after fierce criticism from the UK insurer's institutional shareholders.

• Deutsche Bahn revealed as Arriva suitor
  Thu 18 March 2010 15:36
  German transport operator Deutsche Bahn has confirmed it is the company that made an unsolicited bid approach for UK bus and train operator Arriva.

• Rose takes pay cut and will leave M&S early
  Thu 18 March 2010 14:10
  Marks & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose has bowed to shareholder pressure and will take a 23% pay cut when he steps down from his executive duties in July.

• China and Australia exchange warnings over Rio trial
  Thu 18 March 2010 13:13
  China has warned Rio Tinto against politicising the trial of four Rio Tinto executives, which is due to start on Monday.

• Former Anglo Irish boss arrested, reports
  Thu 18 March 2010 12:23
  Sean FitzPatrick, the former chairman and chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank, has reportedly been arrested as part of a fraud probe.

• Tullett Prebon gets the verdict in poaching case
  Thu 18 March 2010 12:20
  A judge has ruled that BGC Partners was part of an unlawful conspiracy to poach senior staff at inter-dealer broker Tullett Prebon last year.

• Wood Group wins BP Shetland contract
  Thu 18 March 2010 12:03
  Oil giant BP has reappointed oil services group Wood Group to provide engineering, modification and maintenance to its Sullom Voe Terminal in Shetland.

• Investec profit seen 'marginally higher'
  Thu 18 March 2010 11:24
  Investec expects full-year operating profit to be "marginally higher" than last time as the UK, Europe and Australia offset weakness at the South African business.

• BHP urges caution over stimulus withdrawal
  Thu 18 March 2010 11:17
  BHP Billiton remains "cautious" about the state of the global economy and has warned governments to be careful how they go about winding down stimulus packages.

• Galliford Try wins £28m Thames Water contract
  Thu 18 March 2010 09:53
  Housebuilding and construction group Galliford Try has been awarded a Thames Water contract worth in excess of £28m to upgrade Long Reach sewage works in Dartford.

• Salamander approaches profitability
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:51
  Asia-focused oil and gas group Salamander moved close to profit in 2009 as it ramped up production.

• Nissan to build electric car in Sunderland
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:50
  Nissan announced that it will build its Leaf electric car in Sunderland, giving a huge boost to the industry and the north-east.

• Synergy Health hikes divi by 20%
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:43
  Healthcare outsourcing firm Synergy Health said the group has continued to trade in line with the trends seen in the third quarter of its financial year.

• Rolls-Royce wins gas pipeline contract
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:32
  Power systems developer Rolls-Royce has won its second contract in two years from the Gas Authority India Limited (GAIL).

• Berkeley sees sales at top end
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:28
  London and south-east focused housebuilder Berkeley said it has now secured the sales required to meet the board's expectations for its full year results for the year ending 30 April, which are at the higher end of analysts' expectations.

• Aegis FY profit in line
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:27
  Advertising firm Aegis said full year operating profit came in line with company forecasts and is in a good position to face the challenges of 2010.

• Aviva agrees Indonesian joint venture
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:20
  Aviva said it has entered into the Indonesian insurance market through a joint venture agreement with PT Asuransi Wahana Tata.

• Momentum building at Premier Farnell
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:14
  Electronic components distributor Premier Farnell reported full year sales and underlying profits for fiscal 2009 that were slightly ahead of expectations after a return to year on year growth in the fourth quarter.

• SIG profits slump
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:06
  SIG, which supplies insulation, roofing and specialist construction products, sustained a sharp fall in profits in 2009 amid a severe downturn in the construction sector.

• Strong second half for Savills
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:01
  Things started looking up for estate agent Savills in the second half of 2009, particularly in the Asia Pacific region and in the UK residential market.

• Greggs profit beats forecasts
  Thu 18 March 2010 07:01
  Bakery and sandwich chain Greggs saw full-year profits come in slightly better than expected and said it is well placed to achieve a year of further progress in 2010.

• Thursday preview: Greggs, Premier Farnell, PSNBR
  Wed 17 March 2010 17:12
  Bread and subs and sausage rolls might be the theme song for bakery and sandwich chain Greggs, which issues full year results on Thursday.

• BA ups strike flying schedule
  Wed 17 March 2010 16:56
  British Airways said late on Wednesday that it will increase the number of flights during the forthcoming three-day strike by its cabin crew after more staff volunteered to work.

• FSA to hire 460 new staff to tighten supervision
  Wed 17 March 2010 15:31
  The City watchdog plans to hire 460 new staff this year as part of an effort to toughen up supervision of the financial sector.

• Pru's Thiam set to join SocGen board
  Wed 17 March 2010 14:43
  Prudential chief executive Tidjane Thiam looks set to join the board of Societe Generale, France's second-largest bank.

• Hochschild sues Minera Andes over San Jose JV
  Wed 17 March 2010 12:47
  Hochschild Mining said it is taking Canada's Minera Andes to court in New York over a $65m loan provided for their joint venture San Jose gold and silver project in Argentina.

• Arriva jumps on takeover approach
  Wed 17 March 2010 10:38
  Shares in Arriva motored ahead after the rail and bus group said it had received an approach about a possible offer.

• Baltic Oil Terminals settles dispute
  Wed 17 March 2010 08:37
  Shares in Baltic Oil Terminals gushed ahead after the company, which operates terminals at the Russian port of Baltysk in the Kaliningrad territory, said it had settled a dispute with former director Vladimir Gavrilov, reducing the company's liabilities b

• BA union seeks back-up from US
  Wed 17 March 2010 08:26
  Officials from Unite, the union behind the British Airways cabin crew strike due to begin on Saturday, are meeting with members of the powerful US Teamsters union in Washington today.

• Advertising slump hits Mecom
  Wed 17 March 2010 07:51
  Mainland European newspaper publisher Mecom continued to feel the pinch of the global economic crisis last year as advertising revenues slumped.

• Playtech lifted by WHO
  Wed 17 March 2010 07:35
  Gaming software specialist Playtech's underlying profits rose by a quarter last year as it got a boost from its joint venture with bookmaker William Hill.

• Hikma sees low teens sales growth in 2010
  Wed 17 March 2010 07:30
  Hikma Pharmaceuticals reported a 33% increase in 2009 operating profit and said it was confident of continuing growth.

• Derwent London makes strong start to 2010
  Wed 17 March 2010 07:28
  Derwent London, which rents out offices in the capital, remained stuck in the red during 2009, but a "substantial recovery" in central London property values during the second half of the year has continued into 2010.

• Control of Manganese Bronze to pass to Geely
  Wed 17 March 2010 07:11
  Black cab maker Manganese Bronze is to cease production of bodies and chassis at its Coventry plant with the loss of 60 jobs and shift production to China.

• Northgate sees improvement in fleet hire
  Wed 17 March 2010 07:06
  Vehicle hire group Northgate reported an improvement in utilisation rates of its fleets in the four months to 28 February in the UK and Spain.

• Chemring locks in on target despite weather
  Wed 17 March 2010 07:02
  Military decoy specialist Chemring has radioed in a 5% increase in trade during the four months to the end of February at constant currency despite taking a hit from snow storms in both the UK and US.

• Wednesday preview: UK unemployment, MPC minutes, Hikma
  Tue 16 March 2010 18:03
  In the absence of any announcements expected from FTSE 100 companies attention may be focused on economic data on Wednesday.

• BA unions agree pensions cut deal
  Tue 16 March 2010 17:56
  Airline British Airways made a late surge to the top of the Footsie leaderboard Tuesday as it announced an agreement with union negotiators, albeit not the one the airline's customers were hoping for.

• First Quantum impresses
  Tue 16 March 2010 17:54
  Better than expected fourth quarter figures kept the rally at First Quantum Minerals intact, and the miner predicts production increases for 2010.

• European Goldfields gets key permit for Certej
  Tue 16 March 2010 17:33
  European Goldfields took a step closer to production at the Certej gold-silver project in Romania after receiving the last remaining approval needed for the grant of the Zonal Urbanisation Plan (PUZ).

• Teva tells Shire of generic ADHD drug
  Tue 16 March 2010 16:11
  Teva Pharmaceuticals USA has filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for a generic version of Shire's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug Intuniv.

• Kraft 'sorry' for closing Cadbury's Somerdale factory
  Tue 16 March 2010 15:03
  A Kraft executive said today he was 'truly' sorry for the 'uncertainty' it created by closing Cadbury's Somerdale factory despite the company's promise to keep it open.

• Balfour Beatty unit wins US rail deals
  Tue 16 March 2010 13:35
  Balfour Beatty announced that Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), its recently acquired professional services business, has been awarded three new contracts to manage high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects in Illinois, Ohio and Florida.

• FSA bans Merrill Lynch trader for mismarking
  Tue 16 March 2010 13:04
  The City watchdog has banned Alexis Stenfors, a former proprietary trader at Merrill Lynch, for at least five years for deliberately mismarking positions he traded.

• Estate agents see registrations dip
  Tue 16 March 2010 12:40
  The number of house hunters registering with estate agents fell to its lowest level in a year last month, figures from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) showed.

• Small caps round-up: Amphion, Bioquell, Ablon...
  Tue 16 March 2010 11:50
  Shares in Amphion Innovations jumped after the medical and technology sector said it was cautious but confident in the strength of its model following a year which saw revenue increase to $8.6m from $7.1m in 2008, but losses increase to $2.9m from $1.8m.

• Photo-Me to beat expectations
  Tue 16 March 2010 11:48
  Photo booth operator Photo-Me thinks profits for the full year will exceed expectations after benefiting from improvements in management in the second half.

• Rio and Chinalco make up and sign up
  Tue 16 March 2010 11:40
  Miner Rio Tinto and Chinese-run aluminium firm Chinalco have seemingly patched up the differences caused by last year's collapse of their planned tie-up and are set to agree a $12bn joint venture in Guinea.

• BAE jobs in danger if £4bn bid fails
  Tue 16 March 2010 09:22
  BAE Systems has put in a revised bid for a £4bn armoured vehicle contract and warned the government that its tank factory in Newcastle may have to close if its bid fails.

• James Fisher stays buoyant
  Tue 16 March 2010 08:47
  Marine services group James Fisher saw a rise in revenues and profits in 2009 as its specialist technical division helped it shrug off the effects of the global economic downturn.

• Shell to cut jobs and ramp up output
  Tue 16 March 2010 08:12
  Oil giant Shell is to cut jobs and reduce its retail presence as part of a strategy which it says will increase upstream production by 11% in three years' time.

• Sports Direct gets clearance for JJB stores
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:52
  The Competition Commission has formally cleared Sports Direct's acquisition of 31 stores from JJB Sports.

• Gem Diamonds moves into profit
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:48
  Cost cutting measures helped Gem Diamonds move into profit in the year to December 31 even as revenues slumped on lower diamond prices.

• Intermediate Capital shuffles board
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:31
  Mezzanine finance specialist Intermediate Capital has appointed Christophe Evain as is new chief executive replace Tom Attwood, who will remain on the

• Wellstream misses forecasts
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:31
  Wellstream, which designs and manufactures flexible risers and flowlines for the oil and gas industry, reported lower than expected profits in a tough year that saw activity in the oil and gas sector tail off.

• Hiscox estimates earthquake costs
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:28
  Underwriter Hiscox said it expects a combined net loss of around £100m from the recent Chilean earthquake and windstorm Xynthia which struck France.

• Close Brothers posts 50% jump in profits
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:11
  Merchant bank Close Brothers reported a 50% jump in half year profits thanks to a strong performance in its Banking and Securities divisions.

• G4S sees muted sales growth
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:08
  Cost cutting helped security group G4S lift underlying earnings by 10% last year, though organic sales slowed and are expected to remain subdued.

• Serco names Alastair Lyons non-executive chairman
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:03
  International service company Serco announce the appointment of Alastair Lyons CBE as non-executive chairman.

• Debenhams sees improving trends
  Tue 16 March 2010 07:03
  Department store Debenhams said it saw a strong performance in the six months to 27 February as it continues its strategy of lifting margins and expanding market share.

• Dodd unveils bank regulation plans
  Mon 15 March 2010 18:47
  Senate banking committee chief Christopher Dodd has revealed plans for a consumer protection agency that will be run by the Federal Reserve.

• Credit card holders given new rights
  Mon 15 March 2010 13:40
  The government has announced a shake-up of the credit card industry that it claims will save consumers millions of pounds.

• FSA charges banker and wife with insider trading
  Mon 15 March 2010 13:19
  The City watchdog has charged an investment banker and his wife with 13 counts of insider dealing.

• Standard Life buys remaining threesixty stake
  Mon 15 March 2010 12:50
  Life insurer Standard Life has bought intermediary support services provider threesixty for an undisclosed sum.

• Vedanta may spin off aluminium unit
  Mon 15 March 2010 12:12
  India-focused Vedanta Resources is thought to be mulling the demerger of its aluminium business that could value the separate entity at about £13bn.

• BA to fly 60% of passengers during strike
  Mon 15 March 2010 12:12
  British Airways will be able to fly 60% of its passengers during planned strike action later this month, the airline said.

• Tuesday preview: G4S, Close Brothers, Wellstream
  Mon 15 March 2010 09:28
  International security firm G4S brings out full year results on Tuesday. Market expectations are for underlying profit before tax to climb to £366m from £336m the year before.

• Liberty sells Regent St flagship for £41.5m
  Mon 15 March 2010 08:18
  West end retailer Liberty has agreed a £41.5m sale and lease back of its world famous Regent Street store.

• Witan still bullish
  Mon 15 March 2010 07:12
  Investment trust giant Witan's investment performance beat its benchmark index in 2009 after calling the bottom of the market a month early in February.

• Rio Tinto cleared over Chinalco deal
  Mon 15 March 2010 07:10
  Rio Tinto has been cleared of wrong doing over the collapse of its proposed tie-up with aluminium group Chinalco by an internal Chinese investigation, which instead blamed naivety, poor PR and soaring metal prices for its breakdown.

• Bunzl expands Swiss presence
  Mon 15 March 2010 07:06
  Distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl has bought Switzerland-based consumable products supplier Weita Holding.

• Non-execs call time on Punch
  Mon 15 March 2010 07:02
  Two non=executive directors who have been with Punch Taverns since the company floated in 2002 are calling time on their stint at the pubs group.

• KKR and Warner eye EMI break-up bid, reports
  Sun 14 March 2010 11:59
  Private equity firm KKR is reported to be in talks with Warner Music to launch a break-up bid for Warner's troubled rival EMI.

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