If only...
In 2010,Metro Bank (LSE: MTRO) was launched as Britain's first new high-street bank in over 100 years. The firm now has 48 branches or stores as it calls them in the southeast of England.
Metro has had a "superb start to the year", said chairman and founder Vernon Hill, with "improved performance on every level", swinging into profit for the first time. It listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2016, and in the last year the share price has risen by more than 110%.
Be glad you didn't
Jordan's Hikma Pharmaceuticals (LSE: HIK) makes generic and branded drugs, which it sells primarily in the US, the Middle East and north Africa. Despite a rise in revenue and profits for 2016, its shares fell as part of a wider selloff in generic drugmakers and on news that the US regulator withheld approval for its generic version of asthma drug Advair. The shares are down by more than 40% in the last year.
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Forget the financial crisis: it’s time to bet on British banksCover Story Over a decade after the financial crisis, investors are still reluctant to consider British banks. But their worries are overblown and the stocks are cheap, says Matthew Partridge.
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The mess at Metro BankFeatures Rumours of severe trouble at Metro Bank have badly rattled customers. It’s the latest episode in a sorry saga. Matthew Partridge reports.
