Bridgepoint on brink of Quilter deal January 23, 2012 PRIVATE equity house Bridgepoint is set to buy Quilter, an arm of Morgan Stanley’s wealth management unit which the US bank is offloading for a second time. The buyout group, whose investments range from Pret a Manger to a series of continental financial and business services groups, is expected to pay around £180m for the [...]
Protests spread against Monti’s economic plans January 23, 2012 ANTI-REFORM protesters blocked roads across Italy and taxi drivers went on strike yesterday, with more groups set to rally against Prime Minister Mario Monti’s economic reforms in coming weeks. Rising fuel taxes were the immediate cause of the disruption, but railway workers, pharmacists and lawyers are expected to go on strike soon in reaction to [...]
Grim outlook as sentiment remains weak January 23, 2012 EUROPE’S finance leaders met yesterday as sentiment for the currency bloc they represent lay in the doldrums. Consumer confidence rose slightly across the Eurozone, though remains at low levels, the French business climate is deteriorating and Spain’s economy is expected to contract sharply this year, official data showed yesterday. The European Commission’s consumer confidence index [...]
Greek bond offer blocked by ministers January 23, 2012 EUROZONE finance ministers have rejected an offer made by private bondholders to help restructure Greece’s debts, officials said yesterday, sending negotiators back to the drawing board and raising the threat of default. At a meeting in Brussels to discuss Athens’ debt problems, ministers said they could not accept a coupon of four per cent on [...]
Lagarde: Eurobonds will help stop crisis happening again January 23, 2012 GERMANY and the other strong Eurozone countries must take responsibility for the debts of the weaker states, International Monetary Fund (IMF) boss Christine Lagarde announced yesterday. The bailout fund needs a “substantial” boost to sooth panicked bond markets and protect countries like Italy, she told an audience in Berlin, whilst also calling for further fiscal [...]
French banks take ECB funding January 23, 2012 FRENCH banks increased their long-term borrowing from the European Central Bank (ECB) by €43.6bn (£36.4bn) over the last month, according to Bank of France data. The lenders had borrowed €107bn in long-term ECB funds as of 17 January, up from €63.4bn at 13 December, the data showed. The funds would more or less cover 2012 [...]
Leaders’ fear of political unrest grows January 23, 2012 WORLD leaders are increasingly fearful of major social and political unrest as they gather for a week of debates and drinks parties in Davos, according to three reports released yesterday. A majority of 345 designated “risk experts” surveyed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) expected “a major geopolitical disruption” – ranging from a terrorist attack [...]
WHY PARTNERSHIP IS KEY TO SECURING FINANCIAL FUTURE January 23, 2012 GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE, AVIVA LOOKING ahead to Davos, I know it will be a stimulating (and demanding) few days. As the chief executive of an international insurance company I am particularly conscious of the concerns and anxieties our customers have and the difficulties they face in these challenging times. At Aviva we’re here to provide [...]
Gulf widens over Tobin tax January 23, 2012 DIVISIONS over a European Tobin tax have widened in the run-up to a gathering of leaders in Davos, where EU commissioner Michel Barnier will square up to FSA chairman Lord Turner in a debate on banking this week. Barnier used an address to the City at Guildhall yesterday to restate his support for a Tobin [...]
Summers calls for Davos to restore confidence January 23, 2012 “ABNORMALLY high uncertainty” is the main factor driving financial markets at the moment, according to former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers. He said that the debate at Davos on how to overcome the problem risks becoming polarised between economists and business leaders, who want to see either government stimulus or private-sector growth. “The right current [...]
