BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[M&S celebrates not-so-bad result]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/07/01/mands-celebrates-not-so-bad-result/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/07/01/mands-celebrates-not-so-bad-result/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/07/01/mands-celebrates-not-so-bad-result/#commentsFiled under: ,

Recession or not, people can't walk around naked ... especially not in the United Kingdom. (Iceland in summer? Fair game.) Marks & Spencer Group Plc (London: MKS:UK), the largest clothing retailer in the country, just sustained its smallest drop in sales in nearly two years thanks to some savvy deals (offered to consumers) and warm weather. After making their dollars pounds stretch for so long, shoppers were finally ready for a bit of style.

Revenue declined a modest 1.4% for the year so far, much better than the 2.5% average estimate offered by 16 analysts. This was good enough to push M&S shares up 4%. If all goes well, same store sales may start to increase soon, which means that a full recovery will be right around the corner. Same store sales have fallen for the past seven quarters, and company cut its dividend for the first time in almost a decade.

The discounts that helped lead to the recent M&S sales performance are responsible for 18% of the company's food sales (which are down 0.5% on for same store) - much better than the 2.4% estimate. General merchandise fell only 2.4%, beating the 3.5% projection handily.

M&S celebrates not-so-bad result originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>englandgreat britainGreatBritaininthenewsmarks and spencermarks and spencersMarksAndSpencerMarksAndSpencersretailretail salesretail stocksretailerretailersRetailSalesRetailStocksunited kingdomUnitedKingdomWed, 01 Jul 2009 12:40:00 EST<![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase taps Tony Blair for advice]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/01/10/jpmorgan-chase-taps-tony-blair-for-advice/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/01/10/jpmorgan-chase-taps-tony-blair-for-advice/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/01/10/jpmorgan-chase-taps-tony-blair-for-advice/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Tony Blair headshotCheerio! What to do if you're a 54-year-old former world leader, in good health, with Western sympathies? Days of leading a major country are behind you, but you're not ready to pack it in anytime soon. Link up with a major American corporation, of course! Tony Blair, who served as Great Britain's prime minister from 1997 through June of last year, has agreed to join with JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) in the role of part-time adviser.

The financial terms of the arrangement weren't disclosed, but one Manhattan recruitment consultant estimated in The Financial Times that Blair's fee would likely be more than $1 million a year (though that sum doesn't go quite as far in pounds these days).

Continue reading JPMorgan Chase taps Tony Blair for advice

JPMorgan Chase taps Tony Blair for advice originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>EnglandGreat BritainGreatBritaininthenewsJames DimonJamesDimonJPMpoliticiansprime ministerPrimeMinisterTony BlairTonyBlairUKUnited KingdomUnitedKingdomThu, 10 Jan 2008 17:48:00 EST<![CDATA[Her Majesty Britney: will Spears be Prince William's newest love?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/16/her-majesty-britney-will-spears-be-prince-williams-newest-love/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/16/her-majesty-britney-will-spears-be-prince-williams-newest-love/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/16/her-majesty-britney-will-spears-be-prince-williams-newest-love/#commentsFiled under: ,

With March Madness on the books and the World Series a long way away, the world's gamblers need another race to follow. With Prince William newly single, the odds-makers are placing stakes on who England's most eligible bachelor might be courting next.

On the list, with fairly generous odds of 20-1, is reportedly rehabilitated pop starlet Britney Spears, who was rumored to have engaged in email flirtation with Prince William five years ago. Other potential suitors for William (and therefore possible heirs to the throne of England -- how frightening) include Paris Hilton, with 14-1 odds (!), and Heather Mills (formerly Heather Mills McCartney), who has proven talented at earning the love of beloved Englishmen and then dragging their names and fortunes through the muck.

I'm not a gambling woman by nature, but I must say these odds are not ones I'd take. I just can't conceive of the chances being all that good for a Britney/William union (or a Paris/William match-up, for that matter). By means of comparison, bookmakers have set odds of 30 to 1 on the Cincinnati Reds winning the World Series (300 to 1 for the Washington Nationals), and there are certainly fewer teams in Major League Baseball than there are eligible young women interested in Prince William's hand.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Her Majesty Britney: will Spears be Prince William's newest love? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bettingbritney spearsBritneySpearsEnglandgamblingGreat BritainGreatBritainheather mills mccartneyHeatherMillsMccartneyodds makersOddsMakersparis hiltonParisHiltonprince williamPrinceWilliamroyal familyRoyalFamilyroyaltywindsorMon, 16 Apr 2007 16:35:00 EST