Analyst Views: Are you impressed by ITV’s performance? February 26, 2014 KEITH BOWMAN | HARGREAVES LANSDOWN“In all, and underwritten by the track record of the chief executive, analyst opinion remains positive – buy – in tone. The transformation plan is clearly blossoming, cash generation and costs remain a core board focus, while investors are being rewarded by growing shareholder returns. PAUL RICHARDS | NUMIS“ITV is finding [...]
Bitcoin exchange boss works to fix site as Japan probes closure February 26, 2014 THE BOSS of the biggest Bitcoin exchange resurfaced yesterday to reassure investors he is working to get the site back online, as Japanese regulators started to investigate the closure that left an estimated $375m (£225m) worth of bitcoins inaccessible. Mark Karpeles, head of the Mt Gox platform, said he was still in Japan and “working [...]
Sir Roy Gardner heads to William Hill February 26, 2014 FORMER Centrica boss Sir Roy Gardner has joined bookmaker William Hill as a non-exec director, the firm said yesterday. Gardner, who is the former chairman of Manchester United Football Club and catering giant Compass, led the British Gas-owner from 1997-2005. He will take over as senior independent non-exec director when David Edmonds retires at the [...]
Former Barclays traders in court on Libor claims February 26, 2014 THREE ex-Barclays traders appeared in court yesterday after the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) charged them with conspiracy to defraud by entering false Libor submissions. Jonathan James Mathew, 31, Peter Charles Johnson, 59, and Stylianos Contogoulas, 42, confirmed their names and addresses to Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The SFO claims that between 1 June 2005 and 31 August 2007 [...]
Mersch: China’s yuan could turn into the global reserve currency February 26, 2014 CHINA’S yuan may come to rival the US dollar as the most important currency in the world, a senior Brussels official said yesterday. Yves Mersch, an executive board member of the European Central Bank, was speaking in Luxembourg at an event endorsing the state as a location for the trading of China’s renminbi, also known [...]
Growth nudges US house sales to 2008 levels February 26, 2014 SALES of new homes in the US spiked despite the freezing temperatures in January, rising to the highest level since the summer of 2008, before the worst day of the financial crisis. According to the US Census Bureau, 468,000 homes were sold last month, 19.7 per cent above December’s 427,000. Activity in the market is still [...]
IP-oh no: Firms thrive despite shunning PRs February 26, 2014 WHEN it comes to raising millions on London’s stock market, who needs a financial public relation agency to help the cause? Most companies use one as it happens – and profitable work it is too, usually – but last year Foxtons, the ubiquitous estate agency, managed without one. Earlier this week, Kennedy Wilson Europe, an [...]
RBS kicking it with cool kids in Hackney February 26, 2014 LONDON Fields is better known for hipster peacocking than finance but it seems RBS chief exec Ross McEwan has taken a shine to the place – well, more specifically trendy tech workspace The Trampery. The banking boss is holding a press conference there today, having already appeared there in October, pulling finance hacks out of [...]
British mutuals seize customers from big banks February 26, 2014 THREE major building societies yesterday reported big increases in profits for 2013 as the sector seized customers from the big banks. The Yorkshire Building Society saw pre-tax profits jump to £199.3m, up 26 per cent on the year. It is the second largest mutual behind Nationwide, and its gross lending volumes increased 48 per cent on [...]
Westfield eyes London listing for overseas empire as earnings rise February 26, 2014 AUSTRALIAN shopping centre giant Westfield said yesterday it is eyeing a listing in London after a full break-up of its Australian and international retail businesses. Westfield announced plans in December to sell its 50 per cent stake in its mature Australian and New Zealand assets to focus on the fast-growing part of the business – [...]
