Sajid Javid: Why politics can learn from City meritocracy October 4, 2019 Sajid Javid retains a great affection for the City, describing it as a true meritocracy where all that really matters is how good you are at your job. Westminster, he adds, could learn a thing or two from the City’s efforts to promote and increase diversity. Read more: Sajid Javid pledges to raise National Living [...]
London forex trader sues Citigroup for $112m over ‘malicious’ prosecution October 2, 2019 A London-based former Citigroup trader is suing the bank for over $112m (£91m), alleging the bank made materially false and malicious statements to US prosecutors which led to him being tried in New York on foreign exchange rigging-charges. Rohan Ramchandani, former European head of the US bank’s forex spot market trading desk, is alleging Citigroup [...]
Metro Bank shares jump after new bond deal and departure of chairman Vernon Hill October 2, 2019 Metro Bank’s share price jumped in trading today after the embattled lender revealed the succesful relaunch of a £250m bond issue and the planned departure of chairman Vernon Hill. Shares in the group climbed 30 per cent to 234p in trading this afternoon as investors reacted to the firm’s double announcement. The challenger bank had [...]
Rising Risk (Part I): Accounting shenanigans and alternative investments October 2, 2019 | City Talk In this first instalment of a two-part piece, Sebastien Canderle says PE fund managers are getting creative with their accounting – and EBITDA seems particularly malleable. Seasoned auditors know that the risk of fraud increases when a client experiences brisk organic growth or M&A activity. During the 1990s, the most spirited dealmakers included telecoms operators [...]
Tailed in Zurich: How the Credit Suisse spy drama unfolded October 1, 2019 Not many employees start their first day in the new job with a spying scandal hanging over their head. But so it is for Iqbal Khan, the star banker who began life at UBS today against a backdrop of car chases, cocktail party bust-ups and private investigations. While it may read like the plot of [...]
Credit Suisse operating chief resigns after botched spying investigation October 1, 2019 A top executive at Credit Suisse has resigned today following a botched spying scandal that has rocked the world of Swiss banking. Chief operating officer Pierre-Olivier Bouee has stepped down after an internal probe found that he alone initiated surveillance of the bank’s former head of wealth management. Read more: Activists circling Metro Bank Tidjane [...]
City minister John Glen warns against turning away from EU rules post-Brexit September 30, 2019 City minister John Glen has warned that the UK must think carefully about its regulation options post-Brexit, arguing that EU rules had been the “hallmark of our credibility”. The economic secretary to the Treasury struck a cautious tone while discussing regulation for financial services sector, saying that while it was important that the UK “maximised” [...]
Whitbread share price tumbles on Barclays downgrade September 30, 2019 Whitbread suffered a fall in its share price this morning after Barclays downgraded the UK’s biggest hospitality company. The Premier Inn owner’s share price has tumbled five per cent during trading today after its rating was cut by Barclays, which moved its recommendation from ‘Overweight’ to ‘Equal Weight’. Read more: Markets mixed on US-China trade [...]
UK consumer credit growth slows to five-year low September 30, 2019 British customers increased their borrowing at the slowest rate since 2014 in August, official statistics showed today, in a sign that Brexit uncertainty is weighing on consumer confidence. Read more: Pound staggers as Bank of England hints at interest rate cut The annual growth rate of lending to British consumers continued to slow in August, [...]
Activist investors circling Metro Bank September 29, 2019 Activist investors are eyeing up Metro Bank after a failed bond offering and contemplating taking a stake or buying up parts of the business that could be profitable. Read more: Metro Bank shares plummet to record low after scrapping of bond issue US raider Elliott Advisors is one of a group of investors circling the [...]