Airbus, Boeing in Paris slump June 16, 2009 THE PARIS Air Show has seen Airbus and Boeing bag 24 orders between them so far year, compared to over 2,700 by the same point in the show last year, as the global recession continues to take its toll on the battered companies. Airbus pulled out all the stops to sell its new A380 with [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 16, 2009 AIB GroupThe UK-based subsidiary of Allied Irish Bank has appointed Nick Treble to the position of managing director. Treble, 49, has worked at the bank for 27 years, joining in 1982 as a trainee in its treasury department. He subsequently held posts in London as head of treasury and general manager for capital markets, before being appointed group treasurer in 2001. He became chief risk officer in early 2008. Financial Services Authority The City watchdog has appointed Ken [...]
Carter under attack over Digital vision June 16, 2009 CRITICS were yesterday lining up to say that Lord Carter’s Digital Britain Report had failed to prepare the nation for a digital future. The communications minister, who is leaving the government this summer, outlined plans to use part of the BBC’s “switchover surplus” – money earmarked to pay for the digital switchover – and a [...]
Q & A : WHAT DID THE CARTER REPORT DELIVER? June 16, 2009 Q. WHAT DOES THE REPORT MEAN FOR REGIONAL NEWSPAPERS A. Struggling regional newspaper owners like Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror and DMGT had been hoping for a relaxation of merger rules, which would have led to scores of cost-saving mergers across the industry. But the Office of Fair Trading says the rules should stay as they are Q. WILL IT LEAD TO BROADBAND FOR ALL?A. It’s unlikely. It proposes universal access to 2Mbps broadband, which is actually very slow but fast enough to watch [...]
CITY VIEWS: SHOULD PART OF THE BBC LICENCE FEE GO TO COMMERCIAL BROADCASTERS? June 16, 2009 DAVID MAYNARD UBS“If the BBC is going to remain competitive it’s going to have to pay enough to keep the best people at the channel. I think it should keep the money. At the end of the day if they don’t pay enough, their best staff will defer to rivals who will.” RISHI PATEL RBS [...]
Tchenguiz not backing down June 16, 2009 PROPERTY tycoon Vincent Tchenguiz yesterday refused to adjourn a general meeting of shareholders in Bramdean Alternatives, the listed fund for which he is tussling for control, while a leading corporate governance group warned his actions could give rise to potential conflicts of interest. The announcement comes after Nicola Horlick, the manager of Bramdean Alternatives, on [...]
More cheer for hedge funds as liquidations fall 50 per cent June 16, 2009 THE pace of hedge fund closures slowed in the first quarter, falling by 50 per cent compared to the final three months of 2008, in yet more good news for the industry. The record hedge fund liquidations seen in last three months of 2008, when 778 vehicles folded, proved to be short-lived, according to research [...]
GEITHNER: A MAN WITH A PLAN June 16, 2009 US TREASURY secretary Timothy Geithner’s plan to revamp financial regulation, likely to be the broadest overhaul since the 1930s, will today be announced by President Barack Obama. The changes are expected to include tougher capital requirements for financial institutions and more “robust” reporting requirements.
RBS to ease burden on debtors June 16, 2009 Royal Bank of Scotland is to delay foreclosures on commercial property assets, to give struggling customers more time to pay, the bank’s boss Stephen Hester said yesterday. He told the British Property Federation’s annual conference RBS is determined to “behave responsibly and to play a long game” to help customers manage debts. He added that [...]
Tomlinson named as NAPF head June 16, 2009 Lindsay Tomlinson, European vice chairman of soon-to-be-sold Barclays Global Investors, has been named as chairman of the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF). Tomlinson is set to take over from Chris Hitchen whose two-year term expires in October. Lindsay, awarded an OBE for services to fund management in 2005, will have to tussle with rising [...]