Barclays’ Canary Wharf offices rocked by morning bomb scare May 1, 2014 STAFF at banks including Barclays and HSBC were briefly shut in their offices yesterday morning as a suspicious package was investigated in Canary Wharf. An area including the Waitrose supermarket was closed off by police at around 9am when police were called to Barclays’ headquarters, near Churchill Place. Officers sent in a robot to study [...]
Yellen stresses lighter rules for small US banks May 1, 2014 FEDERAL Reserve chair Janet Yellen said yesterday that the US organisation would try to “tailor” its regulatory approach to smaller banks, adding that work on larger banks is still “not finished”. Speaking to a summit of American community banks, Yellen stressed that the Fed was trying not to place “undue burdens” on the country’s many small [...]
LinkedIn’s 2014 forecast falls short May 1, 2014 LINKEDIN, the social network which targets professionals and employers, saw its shares hit last night after its 2014 forecasts disappointed investors. Shares fell as much as four per cent in after-hours trading after LinkedIn said it expects revenue of up to $505m (£299m) this quarter with annual sales of up to $2.08bn, below analysts’ expected [...]
Cameron promises to deliver an EU referendum or he’ll quit May 1, 2014 PRIME MINISTER David Cameron is to step up to his critics over Europe today in a speech where he will confirm his commitment to an EU referendum. In what is being seen as his strongest message yet on Europe, Cameron will say: “Earlier this week I made clear I would not lead a government that [...]
House supply shortfall set to push prices higher May 1, 2014 HOUSE prices are now surging upwards at double digit rates across the country, as a Bank of England deputy governor indicates that the climb is set to continue. Sir Jon Cunliffe’s speech in London yesterday suggested that the lack of houses and ongoing recovery could continue to push prices up. “There is good reason to [...]
Desmond’s Channel 5 sold to US media group Viacom for £450m May 1, 2014 RICHARD Desmond has agreed to sell Channel 5 to media group Viacom for £450m in a deal that will see the US broadcaster expand its worldwide footprint. The deal, which was signed on Tuesday and announced yesterday, sees Desmond’s holding company Northern & Shell receive a return of more than four times the £103.5m investment [...]
Business lending falls at sharper rate despite continuing recovery May 1, 2014 THE BANK of England announced yesterday that business lending is still declining, and more quickly than in earlier months. Net lending to the UK’s non-financial firms dropped by £2.3bn between February and March, the fastest fall since November. The continued decline in lending to companies comes despite solid economic growth in the first quarter of [...]
Inside Track: TSB and Saga lead the way in a retail investor return May 1, 2014 SO AT last there’s some cheer for the retail investor, whose presence in the new issues market has recently been all but forgotten by those in charge of floating companies on the London market. Much of the euphoria surrounding the retail stampede for shares in Royal Mail, which was supposed to herald a new beginning [...]
UK relationship with Japan gets a boost May 1, 2014 PRIME Minister David Cameron welcomed closer ties with Japan yesterday, after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In a joint statement the two countries agreed to closer links between military forces, including joint military exercises and the sharing of information. The statement also commits both nations to closer economic, educational and cultural ties. [...]
Growth remains slow for China’s factories May 1, 2014 CHINA’S industrial base is still growing at a very modest pace, according to a government survey of the manufacturing sector released yesterday. The official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the sector in April came in at 50.4, marginally above the similarly slow growth recorded in March. Any figure above 50 indicates growth. In contrast, HSBC [...]
