BlackBerry announces more job cuts as reorganisation takes hold May 25, 2015 BlackBerry has announced that it will make job cuts as it consolidates. However, the struggling Canadian smartphone maker declined to say how many jobs would go, and where specifically the cuts would fall. A statement from the firm said: “We have made the decision to consolidate our device software, hardware and applications business, impacting a [...]
City Moves for 26 May 2015 | Who’s switching jobs May 25, 2015 Waverton Investment Management Andrew Fleming has been appointed chief executive of the investment management firm. He was most recently chief executive of Cumulus Group and, prior to that, chief executive and chief investment officer of Aegon Asset Management. He began his career at Gartmore Investment Management, before joining ABN Amro. EY The professional services firm [...]
Best of the Brokers for 26 May 2015 May 25, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com DAILY MAIL AND GENERAL TRUST Analysts at Numis reiterated a “buy” rating for the Daily Mail owner, and a target price of 1075p. DMGT last week reported a strong set of results for the half year to 31 March 2015. Revenues held no [...]
Slip in consumer confidence despite retail sales growth – London Report May 25, 2015 DATA on GDP growth, consumer confidence and house prices are due out this week, and today sees the release of the CBI Distributive Trades Survey. The CBI’s research is expected to show robust retail sales growth in May. GDP growth in the first quarter is likely to be revised up to 0.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter [...]
Yellen remarks signal change – New York Report May 25, 2015 FOLLOWING Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s confirmation last week that she expected the US central bank to raise rates in 2015, the market is expected to become choppier over the coming weeks. Though the process is expected to be gradual, with the timing of the first hike dependent on the strength of economic data, Yellen’s tone [...]
Despite Obama’s silver tongue, the future of Iraq is looking pretty bleak after fall of Ramadi to Islamic State May 25, 2015 No Mr President, losing Ramadi is not a “tactical setback” – it is a catastrophe. Having also got by on my wits in graduate school, I always had a sense that I understood the elusive failings of Barack Obama far too well. When he obfuscates, he does so elegantly, often speaking in half-truths, illustrating his [...]
Thatcher and the crisis: It’s time to acknowledge the myth of deregulation May 25, 2015 There is no shortage of commentators who blame Margaret Thatcher’s supposed deregulation of the City for the crash of 2008. But surely it is unreasonable to blame her for events that happened nearly 30 years after 1979. And, on another level, it is a complete misunderstanding of the Thatcher period. I explain this in Thatcher: [...]
Why bankers must be allowed to speak out in their own defence May 25, 2015 Headlines were generated worldwide on last week’s announcement of $5.7bn (£3.7bn) of criminal and regulatory fines against major banks, in the wake of the global FX investigation. Many papers asked the question: “why aren’t these crooked bankers in jail?” But a better question might be: has any of the five UK and US regulators involved [...]
Could an early EU referendum scupper the UK’s chances of a successful renegotiation? May 25, 2015 Brian Monteith, communications director of Global Britain, says Yes. An early referendum helps only the most slavish one-European-state federalists supporting the unreformed status quo. Time is needed to first convince the EU that treaty change is required, so it can be enshrined in law. Second, to secure detailed change, not sound-good slogans that are just [...]
US interest rate hike: Are emerging markets in for a bumpy ride? May 25, 2015 Developing economies are better prepared to withstand higher US interest rates. A slowdown in global trade and investment growth, as well as a fall in commodity prices are dominating the outlook for emerging economies. Major central banks – notably China, India, Indonesia and Turkey – have focused on cutting interest rates to shore up [...]