Hays (HAS)

Shares in the world’s largest recruitment firm Hays (HAS) are down 4% to 157p this morning after its third quarter trading update prompted a round of selling at the open. Group net fee income grew by 5% in the three months to the end of March, adjusted for the timing of Easter, which marked a slowdown from the 9% growth posted in the second quarter. READ MORE ABOUT HAYS HERE Hays’ key ...

UK stocks continue to tread water heading into the Easter Break due to a lack of direction from political and economic events. The FTSE 100 is up 0.1% to 7,445 points with most sectors in positive territory except Oils and Utilities. Shares in sports fashion retailer JD Sports (JD.) pop 4% higher to 555p after the company reports better than expected full year earnings on sales up almost ...

While the pound is getting a lift this morning on press reports that a Brexit deal is being ‘hammered out’ with the European Union, corporate results are weighing on stocks with the FTSE 100 index slipping 0.6% to 7,182. Star pupil and topping the leader board up 3% to 164p is Barclays (BARC) which reported full year earnings in line with market estimates. Unlike HSBC (HSBA) there were ...

Shares in specialist recruiter SThree (STHR) have risen by 4% to 284p after full year results hit the firm’s recently raised guidance. Total revenue was up 13% last year to £1.26bn with gross profit up 12% to £321m and pre-tax profit up 20% to £53.4m. Like its larger rivals, the company’s biggest markets are outside the UK which makes it more resilient to political and economic ...

Figures last week from Germany’s Federal Statistical Office showed that gross domestic product (GDP) grew by just 1.5% in 2018, the slowest rate for five years. That meant that GDP was barely positive in the fourth quarter, up by an estimated 0.1%. If the fourth quarter had been negative like the third quarter, which shrank by 0.2%, Germany would technically be in recession. With China ...

We have a better picture of how the UK jobs market looks as we approach Brexit now that all three big UK-listed recruitment firms have reported quarterly results. At Hays (HAS), the UK’s biggest recruitment firm, UK net fee income was up 3% in the most recent quarter, the same rate as the previous quarter. At PageGroup (PAGE) UK net fees grew by 2.1%, better than the previous ...

Shares in recruitment firm Hays (HAS) buck the recent trend to trade 2% higher at 145p after the company reports another quarter of growth in fee income. Rivals Robert Walters (RWA) and PageGroup (PAGE) were marked down following their latest updates, despite reporting fee growth of 13% and 16%. MOST CORE MARKETS PERFORMING WELL Hays’ net fee income – also referred to as gross ...

News of Chinese stimulus helps support the FTSE 100 as investors await the outcome of today's crunch vote on Brexit later. Theresa May's draft deal is widely expected to be voted down. The FTSE 100 is currently 0.2% higher at 6,867.15, though the more domestic-facing FTSE 250 reverses earlier gains to trade 0.2% lower. House builder Persimmon (PSN) dips 1% to £22.07 as it guides for annual ...

With unemployment in the UK and across many countries at historic lows and a shrinking working-age population, employers are increasingly having to turn to recruitment experts to solve their staffing needs. The global employment market is worth in the region of £450bn a year and is expected to grow at about one-and-a-half times the rate of global GDP up to 2020. The biggest three players to ...

Shares in recruiter Hays (HAS) are among the biggest fallers in the FTSE 350 index losing 13% after the company reported first-quarter net fee income just shy of estimates. Group net fees were up 9% on a like-for-like basis in the first quarter against a run-rate of 10%-plus over the previous four quarters. The slowdown was due to a moderation in growth in continental Europe during the ...

UK stocks get off to a weak start on Thursday following declines in Asia and falls in US index futures as US Treasury yields topped 3.2% for the first time since 2011. Stronger-than-expected US payroll data yesterday and high oil prices are stoking fears of higher interest rates ahead. An increase in the Treasury yield, commonly seen as the ‘risk-free’ rate for investing, tends to be ...

International recruitment agency Hays (HAS) has increased both its normal and special dividend by 18%, bringing the total payout for the past financial year to 8.81p per share. This equates to £128.4m being returned to shareholders, a substantial increase on 2017’s £108.2m. The company’s full year earnings per share figure beat market forecasts by 2%, coming in at 11.44p. Hays managed ...

The FTSE 100 is down 48 points to 7,514 as positive trading in the US fails to cross the pond to the UK. As the pound continues to make gains against the dollar, the overseas earning constituents of the main index feel the strain. FTSE 250 staffer Hays (HAS) is down 2.7% to 197.35p on release of its full year results. The company’s pre-tax profits grew by 17% to £238.5m and raised its core ...

Recent results from two of the big UK-listed recruitment businesses offer a relatively encouraging picture of the world economy. Staffing firms are a good indicator for global growth as companies tend to hire in strong economic conditions and delay hiring when times get tough. Recruiters obviously tend to do well if people are moving jobs which is also a by-product of economic strength. A ...

The FTSE’s largest recruitment company in terms of market cap Hays (HAS) is riding high on a strong set of final quarter results. For the quarter ending 30 June, the company has grown in every region it operates. Even the Brexit troubled UK and Ireland grew 5% on a like-for-like basis, a feat its competitor PageGroup (PAGE) couldn’t match. One downside in this difficult market, makes ...

London’s FTSE 100 firms 55 points to 7,706 on Friday, re-crossing the 7,700 mark as investors try to shrug off the ongoing trade war between the US and China as well as President Trump’s comment that Theresa May’s Brexit plan ‘will probably kill’ any potential US trade deal. In corporate news, recruitment giant Hays (HAS) catches a bid, the shares rising 4.7% to 200.2p on the news ...

The FTSE 100 is down by 7 points to 7,250.03 as markets worry about the escalating tensions between major nations over the Syria conflict. Over 50s insurer and travel agent Saga (SAGA) ticks up 7.8% to 126.1p after posting a 1.4% increase in underlying pre-tax profits to £190.1m. The company is also proposing to hike its dividend for its year ending 31 January by 5.9% to 9p per share. Its ...

Recruitment companies tend to do well in strong economic conditions. Corporates feel more compelled to hire people and individuals feel confident enough to move jobs, seeking new opportunities. Upgrades to global growth forecasts last month by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) strengthen the outlook for recruiters. The new global forecast has been lifted from 3.7% to 3.9% for both 2018 and ...

Christmas retail trading results continue to flood in during trading on Thursday, with Marks & Spencer (MKS) showing a sales decline and growth at Tesco (TSCO) that still misses forecasts. Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket chain, reports a 1.9% rise in like-for-like sales in its home market for the Christmas period. But that falls short of market expectations after strong growth in ...

London’s FTSE 100 opens modestly lower on Thursday in contrast to Wall Street, which marked a new high overnight, and progression on Asian markets. Disagreement among rival factions within the Government over Brexit negotiations continues to weigh on investor sentiment. Online takeaway ordering platform Just Eat (JE.) jumps 6.2% higher to 746.5p as the Competition & Markets Authority ...