Which is best? Star analyst forecasts, or forward guidance? March 29, 2023 BETTER to trust independent analysts or company bosses when it comes to forward guidance? It appears insiders really do know best. That’s according to a recent study from the University of New South Wales, which suggested so-called ‘star’ analysts – those picked out on the Institutional Investor All-American analyst team or the European Extel survey [...]
UBS re-appoints Sergio Ermotti as CEO saying he’s ‘ideally placed’ to steer through acquisition of Credit Suisse March 29, 2023 UBS has reappointed Sergio Ermotti as chief executive just weeks after the Swiss banking giant acquired its long-time rival Credit Suisse in a $2bn bail out. Emotti, who will replace the outgoing Ralph Hamers, was previously chief executive for nine years up to 2020, directing the bank in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Hamers [...]
ECB official slams ‘opaque’ CDS market after Deutsche Bank’s share price drop March 28, 2023 A top official at the European Central Bank (ECB) has slammed the “opaque” nature of the credit default swap (CDS) market, after a sharp jump in prices of Deutsche Bank’s CDS caused the lender’s shares to plummet last Friday. Responding to a question about the sudden drop in Duetsche’s share price last week, Andrea Enria, [...]
UK should not push through Edinburgh reforms, top banking expert warns March 28, 2023 The government should not relax financial sector regulations at a time when banks are already facing severe pressure, a senior banking expert has warned. John Vickers, former chair of the independent commission on banking, told City A.M. that “current events should put an end to any thoughts of rolling things back,” referring to the government’s [...]
HSBC, SocGen and BNP Paribas raided in France as part of ‘cum cum’ tax probe March 28, 2023 French authorities today raided the Paris offices of five major banks – including HSBC, BNP Paribas, and Société Générale – in relation to an ongoing fraud and money laundering investigation. In a statement, France’s national fraud prosecutor said the raids relate to a preliminary investigation into so-called ‘cum cum’ schemes, which was opened in December [...]
Andrew Bailey dismisses banking volatility as ‘testing out’ but stresses BoE remains ‘vigilant’ March 28, 2023 Andrew Bailey today dismissed recent volatility in the banking sector as “testing out” firms although he stressed that officials in the UK remained “very vigilant” for further signs of friction. Responding to a grilling by MPs on the treasury committee, the governor of the Bank of England said “there’s been quite sharp moves in markets [...]
Cath Kidston: Next looks set to pick up troubled vintage staple March 28, 2023 High street giant Next is reportedly in talks to pick up the vintage-inspired Cath Kidston chain. According to reports from Sky News’ Mark Kleinman late on Monday evening, Next – which has been on an acquisition spree in recent months, picking up Made.com and Joules – is set to add the brand to its growing [...]
We will need to hear more from the Bank if a credit crunch follows this banking ‘crisis’ March 28, 2023 Well, you can’t say he laboured the point. Andrew Bailey limited his commentary on the banking crisis / gentle banking wobble to just one paragraph in his speech last night at the London School of Economics, but he made himself clear enough: further rate hikes are on the way unless something dramatic changes in the [...]
Moorgate moves: Why a Malaysian property fund is betting big on Deutsche’s London HQ March 28, 2023 A MALAYSIAN property fund has teamed up with London-based Castleforge to buy Deutsche Bank’s current London base in Moorgate for just over a quarter of a billion – in what amounts to a big bet on London’s commercial property market and the ‘flight to quality’ in office space. Castleforge and its Malaysian partner Gamuda plan to refurbish [...]
Why the Bank of England and Fed could welcome Credit Suisse and Silicon Valley Bank failures March 28, 2023 There’s been reams and reams of wild predictions about whether we’re slipping into another financial crisis, triggered by the collapse of US tech lender Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Credit Suisse’s arranged marriage with its crosstown rival UBS. Blackrock chief Larry Fink even warned in his annual letter to shareholders we’re slipping into a slow [...]