Exclusive: Financial services deal making climbing back up after subdued 2020 July 13, 2021 Deals in the UK financial services sector more than doubled in the first half of 2021, compared to the first six months of last year. Professional services giant Ernst & Young told City A.M. today that the UK financial services industry saw 121 deals in the first half of this year compared with 57 during [...]
Rampant dealmaking pushes Goldman Sachs’ earnings ahead of estimates July 13, 2021 US investment banking giant Goldman Sachs posted a strong set of results on Tuesday which surged ahead of analysts’ forecasts for second-quarter earnings. The rise in profits at the Wall Street giant was driven by the firm capitalising on a record-breaking dealmaking period as companies took on cheap debt and deployed dry powder to snap [...]
JPMorgan profits surge 155 per cent July 13, 2021 Profits at Wall Street giant JPMorgan Chase & Co surged 155 per cent, driven by the release of loan loss reserves and a fruitful deal making period, the firm announced on Tuesday. The American bank released around $3bn in loan loss reserves, which were initially built up in anticipation of a rush of Covid-induced defaults, [...]
Credit Suisse’s Swiss compliance head leaves with immediate effect after just four months July 13, 2021 The head of compliance at Credit Suisse’s Swiss unit, Floriana Scarlato, is leaving the bank with immediate effect, even though she had only been in the role since March. Scarlato will be taking up a new role outside the bank and her successor will be announced in due course, the financial giant confirmed. Scarlato is [...]
FCA threatens action against retail banks for poor financial crime controls July 13, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a warning to retail banks about their continuing weaknesses and failings surrounding financial crime controls in a letter published in full today. The letter, which was penned by David Geale, the Director of Retail Banking & Payments Supervision for the FCA, and sent to banking industry chiefs across [...]
Banking shares jump after Bank of England gives OK for dividends, bonuses and buybacks July 13, 2021 Banking shares jump after Bank of England gives OK for dividends, bonuses and buybacks
Barclays hires JPMorgan veteran Peter Ward to head global e-trading team July 13, 2021 Peter Ward, a JPMorgan veteran, has been hired by Barclays to become head of digital strategy and global electronic trading from September. He will be based in New York City. Ward will report directly to the bank’s co-president, C.S. Venkatakrishnan, who led the global markets business after a major reshuffle at the top, according to [...]
Bursting the bubble: Do widespread narratives about speculative bubbles stand up to the evidence? July 13, 2021 | City Talk According to popular narratives, episodes of market bubbles are replete throughout financial history. Some commentators argue that current valuation levels may reflect the emergence of bubble-like conditions. But what exactly is a bubble, and what does the evidence say? A new book published by the CFA Institute Research Foundation argues that more critical analysis is [...]
EU securities watchdog slaps DTCC’s derivatives unit in the City with £350k fine for ‘negligence’ July 12, 2021 The European Union’s securities watchdog said today it has issued the UK-based trade repository arm of U.S. clearing house DTCC a fine of nearly £350,000 for “negligence” over a four-year period. Trade repositories were set up in the aftermath of the global financial crisis to improve transparency in markets by keeping a record of derivatives [...]
Sterling nudges lower as Boris moves to confirm 19 July unlocking July 12, 2021 Sterling nudged lower on Monday as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to confirm plans to remove nearly all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in England from 19 July, despite cases currently at their highest since the end of January. Sterling fell 0.4 per cent to $1.385 against the dollar this morning, after jumping to above $1.39 [...]