Market Pulse
Ladbrokes' revenue grows but profit takes a hit
Ladbrokes saw 3% growth in revenue for 2015, but profit before tax took a hit as the company delivers its growth strategy.
Unite Group profit up 250%
More beds and more students paid off for the Unite Group in 2015, with the company reporting some seriously good growth in the year to 31 December 2015 on Tuesday.
German fourth quarter GDP growth confirmed at 0.3%
Germany’s gross domestic product rose 0. 3% in the fourth quarter, in line with the third quarter, the initial estimate and consensus forecasts, data released by Destatis showed.
National Grid begins share buyback programme
National Grid announced the start of a new share buyback programme on Monday, as part of its plan to manage the dilution resulting from the take-up of its scrip dividend.
French business confidence shrinks
French business confidence crawled back into its shell in February, according to data from the country's Insee statistical office.
Provident Financial posts rise in profit, hikes dividend
Lender Provident Financial posted a rise in profit and lifted its dividend following a strong performance from Vanquis Bank.
BHP Billiton chops interim dividend to the bone
After absorbing a half-year loss of $5. 67bn, BHP Billiton sliced its dividend deeper than most analysts predicted and adopted a new more cautious payout policy as it hunkered down for what it believes will be a prolonged period of low and volatile commodity markets.
Persimmon profits jump 34% as housing market grows
Persimmon has increased its full year underlying profit before tax by 34% to £637. 8m.
London pre-open: Stocks seen lower; BHP Billiton slashes dividend
London stocks are expected to open lower on Tuesday following a negative session in Asia, amid mixed oil prices.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Facebook, Cameron, Oil, Sainsbury's
Mark Zuckerberg has launched a passionate defence of Free Basics, Facebook’s limited free mobile internet service that was banned in India this month, as he promised to continue to push the programme in other developing countries. Talking publicly about the setback for the first time, the Facebook chief executive on Monday said that the decision by the Indian telecoms regulator to ban the service was “disappointing for the mission for what we are trying to do, and a major setback in India”.
Amec Foster Wheeler wins US defence construction contract
Amec Foster Wheeler has won a $183m contract from the US Army Corp of Engineers (ASACE) to help build at the Aegis missile site in Poland.