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Your support makes all the difference.TV-AM MAKES IT LUCKY NUMBER THREE
TV-am, the breakfast television company that lost its franchise on 1 January, announced a third interim dividend of 20p as it reported pre-tax profits of pounds 32.4m for 1992. The dividend is payable on 5 April - in time to escape the new rules on advance corporation tax.
The group, which has sold off most of its assets, believes it may be able to pay another 12p-13p a share in a final capital distribution. It still has cash set aside against possible liabilities and is expecting a rebate from the Inland Revenue.
BUNDESBANK WARNS
Warning that western Germany's budget deficit could breach 4 per cent of GNP this year, the Bundesbank yesterday lambasted the government for continuing to shy away from necessary cuts in public spending. Helmut Schlesinger, president of the Bundesbank, said the increase in the burden of overall taxation to meet the massive funding requirements of unification would remain a factor for instability in Germany.
THE CHIPS ARE UP
The foreign share of Japan's lucrative computer chip market grew to 20.2 per cent at the end of 1992, averting a threat of deterioration in US-Japan trade relations. In 1990 Japan undertook to increase foreign market share to 20 per cent by the end of 1992.
NATWEST CHARGES
Customers of National Westminster Bank who go overdrawn without permission will be charged pounds 3.50 a day from 1 June under a new scheme of charges designed to make those who overdraw regularly pay higher charges.
UNILEVER EXPANDS
Hindustan Lever, an Indian subsidiary of the Anglo-Dutch soap and foods concern, Unilever, is to merge with Tata Oils Mills, the detergents business of Tata, India's largest industrial group. In 1992 the two had an aggregate turnover of pounds 506m and employed 15,000.
RATHBONE PAYS EARLY
Rathbone Brothers, the private banking and asset management group, is bringing forward its final dividend to 25 March to exploit Budget changes. The move is designed to boost the incomes of tax- exempt shareholders including pension funds.
dollars 2bn AIRBUS BLOW
Airbus said Continental Airlines cancelled orders for 20 Airbus Industrie aircraft worth dollars 2bn as part of its efforts to emerge from bankruptcy protection. The orders involved 13 A330s and seven A340s.
RECORD NYSE PROFIT
The New York Stock Exchange boosted profits to a record dollars 41m in 1992, up nearly 300 per cent on 1991. Listings by 251 companies lifted revenue 12 per cent to dollars 420m.
GREEN LIGHT FOR ICI
The Department of Trade and Industry cleared ICI's planned acquisition of the US and German acrylics businesses of Du Pont and BASF.
100 JOBS SAVED
GEC-Ferranti of Edinburgh won a pounds 20m order to supply laser warning equipment for the Eurofighter 2000, safeguarding 100 jobs.
BUDWEISER FOR JAPAN
(First Edition)
Kirin Brewery, Japan's largest brewer, and Anheuser-Busch of the US will set up a joint venture to produce and sell Budweiser beer in Japan. Budweiser Japan will be 90 per cent-owned by Anheuser-Busch and 10 per cent by Kirin.
FRENCH OUTPUT SAGS
(First Edition)
French industrial production rose 0.4 per cent in January, but output was still 4.7 per cent lower than in January 1992. Output in manufacturing increased 2.5 per cent due to a jump of 11.1 per cent in vehicle production - 4.1 per cent below the level of January 1992.
EC STEEL BLUES
(First Edition)
Crude steel production in the European Community fell to 10.5 million tonnes in February, down 8.7 per cent from a year previously. The decline contrasted with a 0.5per cent rise in US production and a 0.6 per cent improvement in Japan. The worst falls in EC output occurred in Ireland (17.9 per cent), Germany, (14.3 per cent) and France (12.6 per cent).
WORLD MARKETS
NEW YORK: Triple witching activity and a weak bond mark prompted a volatile performance. By the close the Dow Jones Average was up 5.94 points to 3,471.58.
TOKYO: Concern about the strength of the yen clipped 190.93 from the Nikkei Average at 18,537.17 in light turnover.
HONG KONG: Strong company results nudged the Hang Seng index 37.08 higher at 6,088.34.
SYDNEY: Profit-taking restricted the All Ordinaries index to a gain of 7.5 at 1,677.1.
JOHANNESBURG: Quality gold shares soared on heavy international demand. The gold index ended 62 better at 1,139, up 5.8 per cent.
FRANKFURT: The DAX index improved 2.62 to 1,698.81 in lacklustre trade.
ZURICH: Hopes of lower interest rates propelled the SMI index 28.5 ahead at 2,182.6
AMSTERDAM: The CBS index closed 0.1 points higher at 107.70.
BRUSSELS: A strong banking sector helped the BEL 20 index to a gain of 3.74 at 1,254.04.
LONDON: Report, page 19.
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