magazine archive
magazine archive
Week Ahead
All eyes on sales momentum for Eli Lilly's obesity drug Zepbound
Thursday 25 Apr 2024Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE) is due to report first-quarter earnings before the market opens on 30 April. Wall Street is expecting EPS (earnings per share) of $2.54 which represents a 57% increase compared with the first quarter of 2023. All eyes will be on sales momentum in Lilly’s...
UK housing market springs a surprise but all eyes still turned to the US
Thursday 25 Apr 2024The week started with positive UK economic news as the April Rightmove (RMV) house price survey showed asking prices rising at 1.7% on last year, their biggest jump in 12 months, driven by more top-end properties coming to market. The average price of homes put up for sale reached £372,324, less...
Retail giant Next sees strong first-quarter full-price sales increase
Thursday 25 Apr 2024With shares in UK high-street bellwether Next (NXT) trading close to all-time highs above £90 despite the recent pull-back in markets, there is a fair bit riding on its upcoming first-quarter trading update (1 May). When it posted full-year results in late March, the firm said it had been ‘a long...
Alcoholic drinks firm Constellation Brands needs to deliver on its guidance
Thursday 04 Apr 2024Beer, wine and spirits group Constellation Brands (STZ:NYSE) is due to update the market on fourth-quarter and full-year trading on 11 April. With the shares having gained close to 12% to $270 this year, within touching distance of their all-time highs last August, there is a lot riding on a...
Supermarket group Tesco on track for record profit and retail cash flow
Thursday 04 Apr 2024This year is looking rosy so far for the UK’s largest supermarket group by market value and market share, Tesco (TSCO) , and investors will be hoping it stays that way when the company reports its full-year earnings on 10 April. The year started with a report of record Christmas sales, up 6.8% in...
Focus on jobs, inflation and European Central Bank decision
Thursday 04 Apr 2024Investors continue to receive conflicting signals about the likely date of the first interest rate cut in the current US cycle. On 29 March, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation – the PCE (personal consumption expenditures) price index – was up 2.8% on a 12-month basis and 0.3%...
Progress on job cuts and direct-to-consumer sales in focus at Levi Strauss
Thursday 28 Mar 2024Iconic denim products maker Levi Strauss (LEVI:NYSE) may be one of the oldest companies in the US, tracing its origins all the way back to 1853, but it remains highly relevant today. It regularly scores near the top in apparel brand rankings in both the US and internationally and the company’s...
Outlook in focus as Hilton Food posts full-year results
Thursday 28 Mar 2024Retail meat- and fish-packing business Hilton Food (HFG) is set to report its full-year results on 3 April. The company gave a pretty clear picture of its 2023 performance in a January trading update so the spotlight is likely to be on the outlook for 2024 and recent trading. Hilton was hit by two...
Investors looking for answers on spin-off plan and cost cuts from Walgreens Boots Alliance
Thursday 21 Mar 2024Retail pharmacy firm Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA:NASDAQ) is set to report its second-quarter earnings as speculation continues to swirl about a return to the London market for its UK chain Boots. Trading as Alliance Boots after a 2006 merger with pan-European wholesale and retail pharmacy outfit...
Attention is likely to focus on what central bankers say not what they do
Thursday 21 Mar 2024It seems wherever you look at the moment, the economic data is coming in hotter than the market expects. Take US producer prices for February, which last week rose by 0.6% on the previous month, or double the consensus forecast, due to a surge in energy prices which in turn drove a larger-than-...