Character assassination: Business bosses are starting to realise that Twitter has a price September 30, 2018 It is not boardroom discord or tumbling profits that are causing mayhem for Elon Musk, the maverick and publicity-hungry Tesla chief who is set to lose his role as chairman. It’s his Twitter habit. His case exemplifies how Twitter, the social media platform that can send 280 poorly chosen characters right round the world in [...]
The guardians of the art industry: How a former trader is giving old buildings a new lease of life September 28, 2018 Scott Franklin is like the popular kid at school. When the former City trader shows me around the renovated Victorian warehouse in Clerkenwell, everyone we pass seems pleased to see him – which strikes me as unusual for someone whose role resembles that of a landlord. Franklin, who is the founder of Property Guardian [...]
Goldman Sachs enters British savings market September 27, 2018 US investment banking giant Goldman Sachs today entered the British savings market with a leading rate which will add to pressure on incumbents. The bank's Marcus brand, named after one of its founders, will offer an annual equivalent rate of 1.5 per cent, which includes a 12-month bonus rate of 0.15 per cent. The [...]
The Tories must tackle the growing confidence of socialists – and the growing attractiveness of socialism September 26, 2018 Two party leaders gave speeches on Wednesday. One, in New York, praised the free-market as “the greatest agent of human progress” and pledged “a post-Brexit Britain will be an unequivocally pro-business Britain.” The other, in Liverpool, lashed out at “a failed economic system” in which “millions of people” are a mere “side show for [...]
Sky’s the limit: Dramatic auction between Comcast and Fox nears its conclusion September 22, 2018 The dramatic fate of Sky is nearing its finale, as a £26bn head-to-head auction between two of the world’s most powerful media companies enters into its final few hours. Comcast is battling it out with Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox and its powerful soon-to-be owner Disney in a rare auction, which includes up to three [...]
Marsh & McLennan buys insurer Jardine Lloyd Thompson for £4.3bn September 18, 2018 New York-headquartered Marsh & McLennan has agreed to buy UK insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) today in a £4.3bn deal. Shares in FTSE 250 listed JLT soared by more than 30 per cent following the announcement this morning. Marsh has offered £19.15 in cash for each JLT share, valuing the business at £4.9bn. Read [...]
Goldman Sachs shakes up top team as Solomon prepares to take the helm September 13, 2018 US bank Goldman Sachs has installed a new chief finance officer and new chief operating officer as incoming chief executive David Solomon prepares to take control. The bank named Stephen Scherr as its new finance boss, replacing Martin Chavez. Chavez, who has served as finance chief since May 2017, will return to the bank’s trading [...]
Goldman Sachs and UBS’s £1 RBS and Lloyds bank share sale fee baffles top MPs September 9, 2015 An influential committee of MPs was puzzled yesterday by the revelation that some of the City’s biggest firms had charged the government just £1 for handling the sale of shares in Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds. Top officials from UK Financial Investments (UKFI) – the body that manages the government’s stake in the lenders – [...]
Barclays offloads UK loans portfolio to Goldman Sachs-led consortium September 7, 2015 Barclays continued its asset sell-off yesterday, offloading its UK secured lending arm to a consortium led by Goldman Sachs. Since chief executive Antony Jenkins was replaced in July, the bank has picked up the pace of its cost-cutting under chairman John McFarlane. Earlier this month, it sold most of its Portuguese business, representing a £1.7bn [...]
New York City’s “responsible banking” law ruled unconstitutional after lawsuit from Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan August 10, 2015 Is New York City’s notoriously tough line on banks after the crisis about to loosen up? The city’s Responsible Banking Act has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge, reports news agency Reuters. The law demanded that banks provide documentation for an advisory board to review how well they met the needs of low- and [...]