Eurozone pain to dampen bank lending October 8, 2012 ECONOMIC pain in the Eurozone is set to be heightened by a collapse in bank lending, according to an ominous report released this morning by Ernst & Young. The audit firm estimates that bank lending this year will have fallen twice as fast as during the aftermath of the financial crisis, with under-pressure peripheral countries [...]
BAML warns of strikes impact in South Africa October 8, 2012 BANK of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) yesterday sounded a warning on South Africa, cutting ratings across the country’s investment sectors. The investment bank is now underweight on the country, after downgrading South African consumer stocks to neutral and keeping banking stocks underweight. Amid the crisis-hit mining sector, BAML downgraded the South African resources sector from [...]
Confidence dip halves interest in M&A activity October 8, 2012 CITY hopes for an uptick in the stagnant mergers and acquisition market are set to be dashed today as figures reveal M&A appetite among board executives has halved since last year. A study of 1,500 executives surveyed in August and September by Ernst & Young reveals interest in M&A deals has fallen among senior executives [...]
Michael Page cuts headcount as profit sinks October 8, 2012 RECRUITER Michael Page International saw its share price yo-yo yesterday as investors reacted to its second profit warning this year amid mounting third quarter losses for its core businesses in UK and Europe. Shares climbed back four per cent during the day to close at 363p having plunged in opening trading from 368p to 348p [...]
City Views | Do you believe in the coalition’s Economic plans? October 8, 2012 JASON WINDIBANK LLOYDS BANKING GROUP Yes I do, because I think they had to take some very hard decisions and they’ve gone about it the right way. This government inherited a lot of debt; if they hadn’t taken the decision they have, then our triple A ratings would have diminished. STEPHEN HANDS BLOOMBERG I do [...]
Analyst Views | Why is Michael page struggling? October 8, 2012 MIKE VAN DULKEN ACCENDO MARKETS Tough macro growth environment – struggling world growth, austerity impact, financial sector slowdown – is taking its toll on the recruitment sector. Headcount reduction is in place, and not just among clients. Broker consensus figures are set to be trimmed. CAROLINE DE LA SOUJEOLE SEYMOUR PIERCE The poor outturn is [...]
Top candidates exit race to be next Bank boss October 8, 2012 THE COMPETITION for the next governor of the Bank of England heated up yesterday as the window for applications closed, with several high profile candidates ruling themselves out. Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill – who coined the widely-used acronym BRICs – said yesterday he hadn’t applied for the job. And Australian central banker Glenn Stevens [...]
Harding’s Winton Capital ups dividend on back of profit rise October 8, 2012 WINTON Capital Management, the firm founded by hedge fund star David Harding, saw profits jump 23 per cent last year after it added $11bn (£6.9bn) to assets under management in 12 months, accounts show. Harding, who last week publicly revealed his £34m tax bill, helped lead the firm to a £161.9m profit in 2011 compared [...]
Daisy confident on sales rise October 8, 2012 Business telecoms company Daisy Group said yesterday it would report higher first-half revenue and that it remained confident about its business outlook for the second half despite persisting pressure on certain mobile connection commissions. The firm said debt increased during the period due to the acquisition of Worldwide Group Holdings in April. Daisy had reported [...]
Digital ads in double digit growth October 8, 2012 Digital advertising spend increased 12.6 per cent to £2.6bn in the UK in the first half of 2011, research released today shows. The Internet Advertising Bureau’s expenditure report in conjunction with PwC said mobile was the biggest driver of growth, rising 132 per cent to £181.5m, while video advertising rose 43 per cent to £70m. [...]
