FSA charges seven with insider trading March 31, 2010 SEVEN men have been charged by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on 13 counts of conspiracy to deal on inside information, while the regulator has issued a warrant for the arrest of an eighth individual in connection with the case. Ali Mustafa, Pardip Saini, Paresh Shah, Neten Shah, Bijal Shah, Truptesh Patel and Mitesh Shah [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DOES RAMBOURG’S SUSPENSION MEAN FOR GARTMORE? March 31, 2010 JUSTIN URQUART STEWART | SEVEN “It all seems like a bit of a storm in a teacup but the brand damage could be vast. It’s exactly what Gartmore didn’t need at the moment. It’s obviously been reflected in its share price – I’m afraid it appears that the damage has been done.” KATRINA HART | [...]
Greece gears up for $10bn bond in May March 31, 2010 GREECE will try to diversify its investor base and get a better price for its debt by tapping international markets for a dollar bond of up to $10bn (€7.4bn, £6.6bn) in May. Finance minister George Papaconstantinou is expected to lead a roadshow in the US and Asia in late April to whip up interest in [...]
Paris and Berlin in push for bank levy March 31, 2010 GERMANY and France yesterday insisted that an international bank levy should be imposed in order to create a global safety blanket for future crises. French economy minister Christine Lagarde said: “We agree fundamentally on the international nature that this mechanism should have.” The build up of momentum means the G20 group could agree a bank [...]
Hedge funds assets up 5.5pc March 31, 2010 THE number of hedge funds has fallen but the ones in existence are holding more assets under management, according to a survey by PerTrac Financial Solutions. A study of ten of the world’s leading hedge find databases revealed assets rising by 5.5 per cent over the year, to $1.41 trillion. Meredith Jones, managing director of [...]
New FRAB chair selected March 31, 2010 KATHRYN Cearns has been appointed as the chair of the Financial Reporting Advisory Board (FRAB). Presently, Cearns is a consultant accountant at Herbert Smith LLP and chairs the ICAEW Financial Reporting Committee. Prior to this, Cearns served as project director to the UK Accounting Standards Board and as a member of the UK Accounting Standards [...]
Public sector pensions add to pay boost March 31, 2010 GENEROUS public sector pension packages have seen government workers’ total pay rise much faster than their private sector counterparts, a leading think-tank has said in a study published today. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that public sector workers saw their total remuneration improve by 10 per cent in real terms compared to just [...]
BA deal with Iberia misses its deadline March 31, 2010 BRITISH Airways (BA) and Spanish carrier Iberia have missed their merger deadline after the two said they were still ironing out technicalities in the agreement. The merger, which was scheduled to complete by the end of the first quarter, has been delayed by days as both airlines attempt to resolve some minor differences in the [...]
Blackberry maker proves victim of its own success March 31, 2010 BLACKBERRY manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) yesterday revealed quarterly profit and revenue rises but the results failed to match expectations. Profit rose to $710.1m (£467m) in the three months ending 27 February, from $628.4m, in the same period last year. Gross margin was 45.7 per cent and it shipped 10.5m devices. Revenue increased 18 per [...]
JP Morgan gets new LNG deal in energy focus March 31, 2010 JP MORGAN has ventured further into the energy industry by signing an agreement with Chieniere Energy, the liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer. The agreement will give JP Morgan’s clients access to its Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana. It is understood the two will share profits from shipping the fuel on behalf of their clients. “Working [...]