Dresdner Kleinwort set for job cuts after Commerzbank seals the deal September 2, 2008 Dresdner Kleinwort employees were bracing themselves for a round of sweeping job cuts yesterday, after German bank Commerzbank completed a deal to buy Dresdner Bank from insurers Allianz at the weekend. Dresdner Kleinwort, led by CEO Stefan Jentzsch and his team employs about 5,500 staff in the UK, with 2,000 of those based in the [...]
JP Morgan retains top broker title September 1, 2008 Investment bank JP Morgan Cazenove has been named the top City broker for the third year running, according to the latest adviser rankings from Hemscott. JP Morgan has led the table for 12 consecutive quarters. It gained five new clients in the three months to 11 August taking its client base to a total of [...]
Profits slide as investors exit New Star September 1, 2008 New Star Asset Management, the fund manager founded by City veteran John Duffield, endured a 70 per cent annual profit slide as investors left its UK equity funds in droves. The group saw last year’s £1.1bn inflows reversed, reporting net outflows of £307m as its total assets under management shrank £3.3bn to £19.8bn. Investors withdrew [...]
Bodycote test unit sale sees bid talk start August 29, 2008 Engineer Bodycote’s decision to sell its testing business makes it vulnerable to a bid from a predator, analysts claimed yesterday. The Macclesfield-based company revealed that it had sold the division, which tests materials for the oil and gas, civil engineering, food and pharmaceutical sectors, to private equity group Clayton, Dubilier and Rice for £417m, a [...]
Toyota slashes output August 29, 2008 High steel and fuel costs as well as the slowing global economy forced Japanese car giant Toyota to cut its sales forecast in Britain and across the world yesterday. Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe said he will cut the firm’s annual global sales target for 2009 by 700,000 vehicles to 9.7m. Watanabe said: “We have been [...]
Diageo bullish as profits rise August 29, 2008 With two world wars and a few revolutions under its belt, alcoholic drinks giant Diageo is well placed to weather the economic downturn, its chief executive Paul Walsh said yesterday when announcing the group’s results – despite warning of slowing growth ahead. The maker of Guinness and Smirnoff posted a 2 per cent increase in [...]
Henderson promotes equities August 29, 2008 Fund firm Henderson Group yesterday said that chief executive Roger Yates is to stand down in November. The news was announced along with the group’s interim results, in which it reported a 16 per cent fall in profit and confirmed its plans to cut its tax rate by relocating to Ireland. First-half pre-tax profit for [...]
Price website offers half of future profits August 28, 2008 Moneysupermarket.com, the price comparison website, will increase its dividend payout ratio to 50 per cent of all future profits. The bold move was revealed yesterday alongside interim results, and was welcomed by shareholders in the firm, who saw their investment dramatically decrease because of last year’s flotation. The interim dividend is held at 1.3p per [...]
Top Aberdeen Asset Management staff opt for rival Brevan Howard August 28, 2008 Investment group Aberdeen Asset Managers received a blow today with the loss of key personnel to rival Brevan Howard. Ian Winship, head of interest rates, colleagues Philip Payne, Harry Melandri, and analysts Michael Siviter and Adrian Hilton have all bid farewell to their former employers. They will no longer be involved in investment decisions, with [...]
Taylor Wimpey profits hit by £1.5bn writedown August 28, 2008 Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey’s first half profits fell sharply after writing down a massive £1.5bn loss on the value of its property assets. The new homes specialist, which earlier in the year warned it would breach its banking covenant over the full year, said yesterday that it was still in talks with its bankers about revising [...]