Aberdeen hit by fears of bid battle for SWIP November 12, 2013 SHARES in Aberdeen Asset Management tumbled 4.51 per cent yesterday as investors worried the group might get caught up in an expensive bidding war for Lloyds Bank’s fund management business, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP). Australia’s largest investment bank Macquarie is trying to trump Aberdeen’s part cash part share offer, reportedly with an all cash [...]
Vodafone set to boost network spend by £7bn November 12, 2013 VODAFONE has earmarked £7bn as part of a new investment in its network, after it reported yesterday that organic service revenue – the measure of its ongoing network business – fell 4.9 per cent in the second quarter. The record fall was due to weaker economic conditions in Europe that the network said had made [...]
Osborne’s bonus plans raised fears for talent of top RBS staff November 12, 2013 GEORGE Osborne wanted to slash bonuses even further at RBS, but was stopped by advisers who feared the bank would no longer be able to hire the best staff, UK Financial Investments’ (UKFI) chairman revealed yesterday. Robin Budenberg, who runs UKFI (a unit of the Treasury), told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee: “There were [...]
Pets at Home groomed for market debut November 12, 2013 FINANCE firm KKR has fired the starting gun on a £1.5bn stock market listing of UK pet store Pets at Home. The Wall Street group, which took over Pets at Home in 2010, has asked Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Nomura to draw up plans to sell its stake in the company [...]
Review: Lender is right to fight its corner November 12, 2013 PEOPLE of my generation, born during Margaret Thatcher’s time in Number 10, are often dubbed “Maggie’s children” – yet in some ways we’re more like siblings of Naomi Klein, the author who has railed and rallied against corporations and the markets they operate in since the start of the millennium. While globalisation is no longer [...]
Damelin now Wonga chair in board reshuffle November 12, 2013 WONGA founder Errol Damelin became chairman of the online payday lender yesterday, moving up from his position as chief executive. He said the move will let him focus on the long-term direction of the firm, rather than the day to day management of the business. Damelin will be replaced as chief executive by Niall Wass, [...]
London-based ratings agency to compete against big three November 12, 2013 A NEW credit rating agency, billed as a challenger to the biggest three groups, is set to launch in London next week. Five existing agencies have set out to break into the global market, which is currently dominated by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch Group. Brazil’s SR Rating, Malaysia’s MARC, India’s CARE, South Africa’s [...]
Walkie Scorchie owner says ray is almost fixed November 12, 2013 LAND Securities’ chief executive said yesterday that the developer is close to fixing problems with the Walkie Talkie and that the skyscraper’s ultra-bright reflective rays had not put off potential tenants. The building, a joint venture with Canary Wharf Group, was dubbed the Walkie Scorchie after it began reflecting a beam of light this summer [...]
Analyst Views: Did Land Securities’ half year results leave you with a warm glow? November 12, 2013 KEITH CRAWFORD | PEEL HUNTThe results are satisfactory, with a first half total shareholder return of 5.4 per cent which will probably stretch to around 11 per cent for the full year. We are advancing our net asset value estimate to March 2014 by 37p, up four per cent against our prior estimate. ALISON WATSON [...]
Bottom Line: Hold on for a dividend – and maybe more November 12, 2013 WITH a bumper £16.6bn dividend coming their way next year, Vodafone investors are unlikely to be going anywhere fast – even after a disappointing set of results that saw organic service revenues drop by 4.9 per cent in the second quarter. The payout gives CEO Vittorio Colao a bit of legroom to dispense of some [...]
