Equity funds join bid for Del Monte November 25, 2010 TWO private equity funds are believed to have joined Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) in the buyout firm’s bid for Del Monte Foods, sources familiar with the situation said yesterday. Vestar Capital Partners and a fund run by Centerview partner James Kilts are both understood to be working with KKR, with the suggestion that an agreement [...]
Be your own lending bank November 25, 2010 IN THE 1947 film, It’s a Wonderful Life, the hero George Bailey prevents a run on the Building and Loan by reminding his customers where their money is. “The money’s not here. Your money’s in Joe’s house, right next to yours, and in the Kennedy house, and Mrs Macklin’s house, and a hundred others” he [...]
Five charged by FSA over insider deals November 25, 2010 FIVE people linked to a brokerage that was closed down by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) last year were charged with insider dealing yesterday. Blue Index, a contracts for difference (CFD) brokerage was closed down by the FSA in May 2009 just days after it was raided by police. The FSA has charged the five [...]
UniCredit plans Czech Republic expansion November 25, 2010 ITALIAN bank Unicredit is expanding in the Czech Republic with more branches and franchises, it emerged yesterday. Unicredit is understood to be planning to enlarge its 60-strong branch network by at least 40 branches and to expand its franchise network to 90 outlets, especially in smaller towns and cities. The group is Italy’s biggest bank, [...]
Regal confirms bid approach November 25, 2010 Regal Petroleum said yesterday it was in the early stages of takeover talks with suitors, sending shares in the troubled oil explorer soaring. The company, which has suffered a series of setbacks this year after disappointing well results in Ukraine, said it had received a number of approaches after it announced plans for a strategic [...]
Expat Expert: How to enjoy your golden years November 25, 2010 Q.I AM LIVING AND WORKING ABROAD BUT I WILL WANT TO RETIRE AT SOME POINT IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS. WHAT DO I NEED TO THINK ABOUT? A.The good thing is that you are already thinking about your retirement, which is the first stage in planning and investing for it. As you approach retirement you [...]
Insuring euro debt leaps to record highs November 25, 2010 THE cost of insuring Spanish, Portuguese and Belgian debt is at or close to record highs, with Ireland’s bailout crisis spilling into the bond markets of other peripheral Eurozone countries. Ten-year credit default swaps (CDS) on Spanish government debt are at record highs, reaching 312 basis points (bps) yesterday. That means that it costs €312,000 [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS November 25, 2010 TRYING TO TIME THE MARKET IS COSTLY Research commissioned by Barclays Wealth has revealed that investors’ habit of chasing performance is costing more than one percentage point a year in returns. The study, which analysed fund flows between 1992 and 2009, discovered that market timing decisions by retail investors (when investing in equity mutual funds) [...]
Margin call on Irish bonds up November 25, 2010 EUROPEAN clearing house Clearnet yesterday pushed up its margin requirement for trading Irish sovereign bonds, raising it from 30 per cent above the normal requirement to 45 per cent above the norm. Clearnet, which handles €11 trillion’s worth of bond trading a month, said its analysts had made the decision after the spread between Irish [...]
Merkel’s comments test EU patience November 25, 2010 GERMAN chancellor Angela Merkel’s repeated interventions in the euro crisis have prompted anger among EU officials, who fear that Germany is turning its back on the Eurozone’s interests in favour of its own. Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said yesterday that he is “concerned that in Germany, the federal (government) and local authorities are slowly losing [...]
