BEST OF THE BROKERS January 24, 2010 CLOSE BROTHERS Shore Capital has resumed coverage of Close Brothers with a “hold” rating after a pre-close update last week. The broker said the group’s mixed divisional performance – with strength in banking and securities but a more modest start to the year in asset management – shows it remains susceptible to the uncertain economic [...]
Hugh Osmond returning to the market January 24, 2010 THE founder of pub chain Punch Taverns is returning to the market to raise up to £500m for an investment vehicle aimed at buying distressed companies and funds. Hugh Osmond, who also floated Pizza Express, is joining other City heavyweights to launch Horizon, which will try to raise the cash via a public offering on [...]
Swiss yet to deliver UBS client data for US probe January 24, 2010 Switzerland has not yet handed over data on clients of UBS to the US authorities as part of a probe into possible tax evasion among wealthy bank customers, a government spokesman said yesterday. However, the Swiss government does not know how many UBS customers may have handed over their details to the US tax authorities, [...]
M&B row with rebel reaches fever pitch.. January 24, 2010 BOSSES of All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers are steeling themselves for a showdown with rebel shareholder Piedmont at its annual meeting on Thursday. The company is facing a bid by Piedmont, which owns 23 per cent of the business, to install four independent directors on the board. Piedmont is understood to want M&B [...]
Headwinds will continue for years to come January 24, 2010 At the time of writing, Britain is the only G20 country still in recession but finally, after two years in decline, there is hope that our economy is finally growing again. It is widely anticipated that the Office for National Statistics will tomorrow announce that the most prolonged recession to hit the UK since records [...]
…as pub groups report strong sales January 24, 2010 MITCHELLS & Butlers is unlikely to report significant trading news at its annual meeting, although other companies in the sector will update the market this week. Numis Securities said January trading at M&B is unlikely to have changed after a sales rise since late November. On Wednesday, brewer Greene King is tipped to report a [...]
Iceland asks for state mediation January 24, 2010 Iceland has approached several governments about the possibility of mediating talks over $5bn its owes to Britain and the Netherlands after the island’s banking crisis, Icelandic media reported yesterday. Local television said Norway was the most likely candidate for such a role. Oslo is seen as sympathetic to Iceland’s plight and mediated between London and [...]
How studying Goldman Sachs can help you become a better trader January 24, 2010 LAST week, Goldman Sachs announced profits of more than $13.3bn, even as some of its competitors continue to struggle. So what is the bank doing so right? We look at five ways you can adapt your hedging, research and risk styles to a Goldman style and hopefully boost your revenues. 1. Do your research Goldman’s [...]
MANAGE RISK CAREFULLY IN CHOPPY TIMES January 24, 2010 FOLLOWING Barack Obama’s attack on Wall Street towards the end of last week, the markets suffered the sort of wobble that some had thought we had seen the last of. It proved once again that we are not out of the woods yet and was a reminder that spread betters have to be able to [...]
THE TIPSTER January 24, 2010 US PRESIDENT Obama’s plans for the banking sector are expected to continue to dominate this week and put further pressure on banks’ share prices across the world. This might make it well worth taking a short out on the UK banking sector. IG Index is offering a spread of 4,466-4,486. But downward pressure on share [...]
