The political bubble has yet to burst April 15, 2010 BRITISH politics is in a sorry state – that, I’m afraid, is the only conclusion that can be drawn from last night’s leaders’ debate. All three wannabe PMs played it safe; there was barely any acknowledgement of how the recession and crisis at the heart of the public finances has changed everything and how we [...]
Lehman sets claims plan April 15, 2010 LEHMAN Brothers plans to hand creditors between 15 and 27 per cent of their £1 trillion claims as part of the stricken bank’s proposal to exit bankruptcy. The plan is part of a US court disclosure statement filed earlier this week and gave insight into how the bank would attempt to end its bankruptcy. The [...]
SEC joins Hewlett-Packard probe April 15, 2010 Democrats pressed ahead with financial regulation reform in the US Congress yesterday, rejecting Republican complaints and preparing the way for a final vote on legislation in the Senate. The last unfinished piece of a massive Democratic bill – new rules for the $450 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market – was expected to take clearer shape today [...]
Former Matalan boss joins Hut April 15, 2010 Angus Monro, the former Matalan chief executive is to join the board of online retailer The Hut Group. Monro is already among a list who have invested in the company, including fund managers Artemis and William Currie, and technology venture capital group Balderton Capital. Hut Group has been earmarked as the UK’s fastest growing online [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 15, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES INVESTORS RAISE FEARS ON “STEWARDSHIP CODE” As the Financial Reporting Council prepares to issue a shareholders’ best practice code, industry groups and institutional investors say they are worried it will become another list of boxes to tick. The FRC’s consultation on the world’s first official “stewardship code” closes on Friday and it expects [...]
Cameron was winner, say our panellists April 15, 2010 DAVID CAMERON scraped past Nick Clegg to win last night’s leaders’ debate, according to a rapid response panel of City A.M. readers – but only just. We asked a rapid response group from our panel of London’s financiers and business professionals to score each of the leaders out of 10 for performance and content. The [...]
Google posts first quarter revenue jump April 15, 2010 GOOGLE’S first-quarter profit jumped 37 per cent as the Internet search giant’s revenue rose 23 per cent, highlighting how the online-advertising market continues to rebound. Google’s chief financial officer Patrick Pichette said the company performed well in the first quarter, with year-on-year sales growth driven by strength across all major verticals and geographies. Google generated [...]
US vows to crack down on tax evaders April 15, 2010 TWO clients of HSBC were among nine people charged by US prosecutors with concealing offshore bank accounts, cases potentially roping in a second major bank to a US crackdown on wealthy tax cheats. The other seven were all former US clients of Switzerland’s UBS, the bank at the centre of enforcement efforts over the past [...]
Premier League to defend Sky April 15, 2010 THE Premier League has announced it will challenge Ofcom’s ruling to slash the price Sky can charge its rivals to show matches. It says investment in the sport will suffer as a result. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: “Having taken time to study the Ofcom decision we have concluded we have no option [...]
Goldman Sachs director in probe April 15, 2010 PROSECUTORS are examining whether Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta gave inside information about the bank to Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. “Mr. Gupta is unaware of any examination of any such issue and has done nothing wrong,” a spokeswoman for Gupta said in a statement. Rajaratnam has pleaded [...]