Heartwood positive despite crisis June 10, 2009 Independently-owned wealth manager Heartwood said yesterday it had performed strongly over the past year despite challenging market conditions. Heartwood now has around £1bn of funds under management and administration, having added over £100m of net new client assets under management over the year. Chief exec Simon Lough said profits were ahead of last year, excluding [...]
Live Nation deal referred to CC June 10, 2009 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has referred a proposed merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation to the Competition Commission, amid concerns that it would result in reduced competition. Ticketing agent Ticketmaster and venue operator of promoter Live Nation have an agreement to work together until December 2009.
Wolseley back in the FTSE 100 June 10, 2009 FTSE Group said yesterday that heating and plumbing distributor Wolseley, global private equity firm 3i Group and the London Stock Exchange Group will be joining the FTSE 100. In the rebalance, Drax Group, Whitbread and Amlin will all leave the UK’s blue chip benchmark. The changes to the indices take place following FTSE’s UK Index [...]
Rock appeal gathers pace June 10, 2009 INVESTORS in nationalised lender Northern Rock yesterday launched a legal bid to overturn a High Court decision which they claim will leave them with “derisory” compensation. Institutional investors RAB Capital, SRM Global and a collective of private shareholders numbering more than 200,000, who are backed by the UK Shareholders Association, say the government’s compensation scheme [...]
Odey and GLG among hedge fund winners June 10, 2009 WINNERS are emerging from the hedge fund sector’s dramatic comeback in May, with groups like Odey and GLG now trumpeting net gains as high as 35 per cent this year so far. Hedge fund managers are saying investments in banks and emerging markets paid off last month, while recent research claimed May saw the vehicles [...]
Rising US debt yields sparks market fears June 10, 2009 US MARKETS were fearing recent cheer may be premature last night after an auction of benchmark 10-year Treasury notes triggered a bout of selling that sent spreads widening to levels last seen in October last year. The widening yields led to concerns that the cost of servicing government debt could hamper a recovery. This came [...]
Phorm raises 15m in funds June 10, 2009 ONLINE advertising company Phorm said yesterday it raised around £15m through a placing with institutional investors. The group, which has drawn criticism from the Government and European Commission over data privacy, said it had raised the money with a 450p per share placing to expand its services and for general working capital purposes. “I am [...]
Sweden takes loan from ECB June 10, 2009 SWEDEN’S central bank said yesterday it would take a €3bn (£2.6bn) loan from the European Central Bank (ECB) to ensure financial stability, despite an earlier statement from the country’s regulator that its banks could survive a severe recession. The Riksbank is taking the loan to give it breathing space while it builds up foreign currency [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS June 10, 2009 CLOSE BROTHERSUBS analysts initiated coverage on Close Brothers with a “hold” rating and 700p target price, saying that the new management’s strategy should increase shareholder value over the next three years. However, the broker says the group faces near-term challenges including rising bad debt and lower stock market levels. PEARSONReports that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger [...]
CRITICS DO A U-TURN ON HORNBY’S REPUTATION June 9, 2009 A RINGING endorsement of Andy Hornby, the besieged former chief of HBOS who is now joining retailer Alliance Boots, from the most unlikely of quarters. John Thurso, the Lib Dem spokesman for business, enterprise and regulatory reform, has been among Hornby’s harshest critics as a member of the Treasury Select Committee that harangued various bankers [...]
