Top private equity firms rule industry April 28, 2010 GOLDMAN Sachs Principal Investment Area has leapfrogged rivals TPG, KKR and Carlyle to take top spot in this year’s ranking of the world’s leading 300 private equity firms produced annually by Private Equity International magazine. The report, which ranks firms in terms of the amount of direct investment capital each has raised over a five-year [...]
Ex-trader on FSA insider deal charges April 28, 2010 A former hedge fund trader yesterday become the latest victim of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) clampdown on insider trading. Anjam Ahmad, has been charged with conspiracy to commit insider dealing relating to allegations of trading in 22 different shares between June and August 2009. It is alleged he made trades while in possession of [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS April 28, 2010 LLOYDS BANKING GROUP Seymour Pierce reiterates its “sell” rating on Lloyds Banking Group despite the bank reporting an upbeat first quarter and updated 2010 forecasts. But, Seymour Pierce says that at the current rate of deposit growth, it will take until 2020 before its loans to deposit ratio falls back to below 1.0. PREMIER FOODS [...]
Aim market enjoys new listings revival April 28, 2010 INITIAL public offerings on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) showed tentative signs of a recovery in the first quarter of the year, after listings all but dried up on the junior market during the crisis. A total of 16 firms joined Aim in the first quarter of 2010, compared to just five in the same [...]
Short selling banned on Athens exchange April 28, 2010 GREEK financial regulators have banned short-selling in shares on the Athens stock exchange after investors offloaded Greek assets as the country plunged even deeper into financial crisis. The Capital Market Commission hasn suspended short-selling until 28 June after considering the “extraordinary conditions” in the Greek market. It is the second time during the global economic [...]
BAT sees volumes fall but sales hold up April 28, 2010 BRITISH American Tobacco, the world’s No 2 cigarette maker, reported a four per cent fall in underlying first-quarter volumes but said price rises led to good sales growth and it remains on track for 2010. The London-based group, which makes Kent, Dunhill, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall cigarettes, said that its consumers were finding economic [...]
Home Retail in share buy back as earnings fall April 28, 2010 ARGOS and Homebase owner Home Retail Group has announced plans for a share buy back of up to £150m as new figures showed its annual profit had dropped by 11 per cent. Underlying profits fell to £292.9m for the year to 27 February. Earnings were hit by weak consumer spending and a lower pound, which [...]
Shell profits soar after oil price hike April 28, 2010 ROYAL Dutch Shell’s quarterly profits jump by nearly 50 per cent to $4.9bn (£3.2bn). The oil giant said an increase in energy prices had fuelled the hike. The figure was 49 per cent up on the same period last year. Shell is in the process of a massive shake-up which includes 2,000 job cuts. Up [...]
FLASHING THE CASH IN THE CITY’S STRIP CLUBS April 27, 2010 FANS of this column’s Bill of the Week feature are in for a treat this week, as a second receipt dropped onto The Capitalist’s desk yesterday that was simply too juicy to stay under wraps until Monday. Feast your eyes on the gem to the right, which came from the Secrets table dancing club at [...]
Showdown April 27, 2010 GOLDMAN Sachs executives yesterday gave a robust defence of the bank’s behaviour during the financial meltdown. Senators grilled the bank’s top players for more than nine hours as they desperately sought an admission of guilt that was never forthcoming. During the ill-tempered affair Goldman executives, including boss Lloyd Blankfein and chief financial officer David Viniar, [...]