Titan Clifford Chance loses its lead spot July 1, 2009 CLIFFORD Chance was yesterday knocked off the top spot as the world’s biggest law firm after revealing a 37 per cent plunge in full year profits. Average partner earnings at the London-based firm slumped from £1.16m in 2007-08 to £733,000 over the 12 months to 30 April as its key banking and corporate clients struggled [...]
RBS chief Hester alters pay deal in bid to placate critics July 1, 2009 ROYAL BANK of Scotland chief executive Stephen Hester yesterday pledged to defer cashing incentive shares worth up to £3.4m for an extra two years in an attempt to defuse outrage over his controversial pay package. Hester’s overall package is potentially worth £9.7m, RBS said last week, drawing fire from politicians and trade unions who said [...]
Punch faces tussle with its investors July 1, 2009 HEAVILY indebted pub chain owner Punch Taverns is facing opposition from major shareholders to its plans to raise £375m in a share sale. Greenlight Capital, the US hedge fund, and QVT Financial are believed to be among those who will vote against the fund raising at the group’s AGM in protest at the potential dilution [...]
Nat Exp east coast to be nationalised July 1, 2009 THE loss-making east coast rail line is set to be renationalised after National Express, which currently operates the franchise, failed to renegotiate its funding contract with the Department for Transport (DfT). National Express currently runs services on the line between London and Edinburgh. But the firm is walking away from the line after it failed [...]
Q & A: EAST COAST RAIL LINE July 1, 2009 Q.WHY IS THE EAST COAST RAIL LINE STRUGGLING?A.The franchise – along with other train operators – is struggling as the downturn results in both leisure and business travellers cutting back on travel. It is also losing out on its premium passengers, as those who are still travelling stay away from first class travel. Rising fuel [...]
CITY VIEWS: WAS THE GOVERNMENT RIGHT TO NATIONALISE THE EAST COAST RAIL LINE? July 1, 2009 RANJIT BAHAD DAIWA SECURITIES “It’s right to take it out of the hands of National Express if they’re not doing a good enough job. Still, where’s the money going to come from to run the line? We’ve got such a big debt burden and running this line is going to be costly.” SARAH SKINNER LLOYD [...]
UK’S MAIN RAIL FRANCHISES July 1, 2009 ARRIVA WALES Shrewsbury – Swansea line. It also covers Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham FIRST CAPITAL CONNECT A FirstGroup franchise, it runs from Bedford to Brighton via Luton. Also Luton to Wimbledon and Sutton. NATIONAL EXP. EAST ANGLIATrains run from London Liverpool Street to Sheffield, Chelmsford, and Peterborough. SOUTH WEST TRAINSPart of Stagecoach group, it was [...]
Madoff victim fund stands at 140m as the hunt goes on July 1, 2009 THE SECURITIES Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) said yesterday a total of $231m (£140m) has so far been committed to pay for claims from victims of Bernard Madoff’s fraud, with a further $2.74bn “authorised for potential future recovery.” The group, which was established by the US Congress in 1970 to help swindled investors, said that the [...]
O2 considers T-Mobile bid July 1, 2009 T-MOBILE UK could find itself at the centre of a bidding war after O2 became the second mobile network operator to consider buying the firm from Deutsche Telekom, its German owner. O2’s Spanish parent company Telefonica is kicking the tyres at T-Mobile UK, after Vodafone entered talks with Deutsche Telekom earlier this week. Telefonica is [...]
American manufacturing output reached a 10-month high in June July 1, 2009 AMERICAN manufacturing output in June reached 44.8, its highest level since last August 2008, according to the ISM survey published yesterday. While the headline figure remained below 50, production jumped to 52.5 from 46 in May. Capital Economics said the index is finally at a level consistent with an actual expansion in GDP, rather than [...]
