Banca Popolare to issue bond September 21, 2009 Italy’s Banca Popolare de Milano is to issue a state-backed “Tremonti” bond worth €500m (£453m). The bank, the second to issue the type of bond named after economy minister Giuliano Tremonti, said it had met government requirements to launch the issue within the next 15 days. A Tremonti bond is issued by a bank and [...]
Lily Allen pens anti-piracy blog September 21, 2009 Pop star Lily Allen is rallying fellow artists in a war against online piracy. She has set up a blog where she posts messages from high-profile supporters of her cause. The news come a week after an outburst from the outspoken pop star against file-sharing, which she said was a “disaster” for fledgling artists.
Goldshield faces battle for takeover September 21, 2009 SHARES in Goldshield, the maker of appetite suppressant drug Appesat, jumped yesterday after the management of the pharmaceutical business confirmed it is working on a counter-bid to trump the 162m cash offer by bid vehicle AIT announced last week Goldshield’s executive directors, chaired by former government drugs tsar Dr Keith Hellawell, confirmed they were trying [...]
Yacht makers stay afloat in recession September 21, 2009 THE UK superyacht sector has remained buoyant in the recession, with revenue growing 15 per cent year-on-year, according to figures released by the industry’s trade body. Superyacht UK, which represents over 160 member companies involved in the superyacht manufacturing business, said that revenue has increased from £350m to £410m over the year. The UK figures [...]
HSBC hints at deal for ING private bank September 21, 2009 HSBC is actively looking to purchase assets in private banking, it said yesterday, reigniting expectations that the bank soon wrap up a deal for units put up for sale by bailed-out Dutch financial group ING. Alexandre Zeller, chief executive of HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) confirmed that Europe’s largest bank was alive to potential acquisition opportunities, [...]
Social networking turns profitable September 21, 2009 FACEBOOK, now with 300m users, announced last week that it has broken even. Its revenues cover operating costs. In internet language, one’s “burnrate” is how much money you are losing monthly until you do just that – break even. What is the business model of Facebook? Well, there is traditional and self-service advertising, virtual property [...]
Land Secs sells stake in Bullring September 21, 2009 Land Securities yesterday confirmed it has sold its 33 per cent stake in the Bullring shopping mall in Birmingham, to Australia’s Future Fund for £210m in one of the biggest UK property deals of the year. The deal comes three weeks after mounting speculation that the property company was in advanced talks to sell its [...]
Swine flu risk to business September 21, 2009 Half of Britain’s businesses face a high risk from swine flu, according to research from law firm DLA Piper. And the survey revealed 80 per cent of companies are reviewing their continuity planning in light of the threat. Despite heightened awareness, more than half of the companies questioned said they had not communicated their continuity [...]
Surprise surge in property investments September 21, 2009 The second and third quarters of 2009 have seen a surge in interest from first time investors, according to Assetz, as people looked to take advantage of good value in the property market amid signs of strengthening house prices. During the summer a wave of new investors entered the market thanks to disillusionment with poor [...]
Seatwave boosted by live acts September 21, 2009 Seatwave, Europe’s largest fan-to-fan ticket exchange, yesterday announced a leap in ticket sales as a raft of live entertainment lured in punters. The number of European fans attending live events in Britain during the first half of 2009 increased by 596 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier, Seatwave said. The increase [...]
