Publicis in deal to snap up Dutch ad firm September 20, 2012 FRENCH advertising agency Publicis has agreed to buy Dutch agency LBi International in a deal valuing the company at €416m (£332m), the group’s latest move to boost its exposure to digital advertising. The €2.85 per share offer in cash, which LBi’s board has accepted, is at a 7.5 per cent premium to the ad agency’s [...]
Jefferies earnings boosted by bank’s stake in Knight Capital September 20, 2012 JEFFERIES Group reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit yesterday, with the investment bank’s stake in Knight Capital Group boosting earnings and trading revenue. Jefferies acquired a 22.8 per cent stake in Knight Capital last month as part of a rescue plan after the market-making firm suffered a trading loss of $440m (£271.6m) due to a software glitch. [...]
James Murdoch eyes promotion despite critics September 20, 2012 JAMES Murdoch will be given more responsibility over News Corp’s US television operations more than a year after he became a central figure in the company’s telephone hacking scandal in the UK, two sources familiar with the matter said. News of the promotion comes on the heels of a ruling earlier yesterday that BSkyB is [...]
Fund managers say more Libor resignations are on the way September 20, 2012 THE VAST majority of fund managers expect more heads to roll over the Libor crisis as more banks become implicated, according to a survey out today. Capital Spreads found 84 per cent expect more chief executives to follow former Barclays boss Bob Diamond in resigning over rate manipulation. “So far management at other major UK [...]
iPhone 5 launch hit by maps outcry September 20, 2012 APPLE faced embarrassment yesterday on the eve of today’s iPhone 5 launch, as users who upgraded to the latest version of the phone’s operating system vented their anger over changes to the device’s mapping software. Apple, led by Tim Cook (pictured), has ditched arch-rival Google’s trusted maps for the iOS6 upgrade, but on its first [...]
London to ease flotation rules for tech firms September 20, 2012 THE GOVERNMENT yesterday proposed relaxing rules on fast-growing businesses to float on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), in an effort to prevent British technology firms fleeing to America. Science minister David Willetts announced the plans at Google’s innovation hub in London, saying he wanted to reform rules on free float – the proportion of a [...]
Crest Nicholson mulls return to stock market September 20, 2012 CREST Nicholson, one of the UK’s biggest housebuilders, is mulling a return to the stock market five years after it was taken over during the housing crisis as it looks to take advantage of returning optimism in the housebuilding sector. A source familiar with the company told City A.M that a flotation was one of [...]
Call for change on UK visa rules September 20, 2012 THE government must alter visa rules to make it easier for the UK’s technology start-ups to hire graduates from abroad, a leading think-tank claims today. A report from Policy Exchange says a skills shortage means firms cannot find enough coders, designers and other highly skilled staff in Britain but tough new immigration rules hinder their [...]
Political hurdles place defence firms mega-merger in jeopardy September 20, 2012 EUROPEAN aerospace group EADS is looking for a quick decision from governments on its plan to merge with British defence company BAE Systems, as France and Germany hold meetings to discuss a common position on the proposed tie-up. “We are continuing constructive talks and hope for an agreement soon,” a spokesman said yesterday. “All the [...]
Biggest lenders close in on new capital targets September 20, 2012 THE WORLD’S largest banks took a €111.5bn (£89.1bn) step closer to hitting capital ratio targets in the second half of last year, according to new figures released by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision yesterday. The study looked at banks’ capital levels as of 31 December 2011, and applied incoming Basel III rules to see [...]
