Swinburn’s Staying On to bloom in wide open Rose of Lancaster Stakes August 6, 2009 WALTER SWINBURN has his team in great heart at present and his four-year-old gelding STAYING ON can go very close in Haydock’s feature contest tomorrow. The son of Invincible Spirit was beaten by only two lengths by Famous Name in a Group Three at the Curragh last time and before that had finished sixth in [...]
IN-RUNNING TRADING HINTS August 6, 2009 Although scores are normally high at this ground – the 10-game average first-innings score taken from the totals posted by both teams is 367 – they are often far lower in the second innings, normally leading to a result in one team’s favour. A quick stat attack shows England have won six and lost four [...]
Bet on Brett to spark the Aussie fightback August 6, 2009 ENGLAND vs AUSTRALIA TODAY 11AM, SKYSPORTS 1 The cherished urn may be among the smallest trophies in sport, but to the 17,000 Headingley spectators, and 22 men dressed in white, it is the biggest prize in the world. Yet, with three down and just two to go, we’re not much nearer to knowing who will [...]
Q&A: BUYING August 6, 2009 Camilla DellMANAGING PARTNER AT BLACK BRICK Q. Dear Camilla, I’m thinking of buying a property for investment. Are there any particular areas or hot spots in London that I should be considering at the moment? A.Well, an area that we quite like at the moment is Fulham, which is on the edge of Chelsea and [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland to return to profit despite new writedowns August 6, 2009 ROYAL Bank of Scotland (RBS) is expected to return to profit today, as it reveals first half profit figures. The bank, which recorded a UK record loss of more than £24bn for 2008, is predicted to reveal first-half pre-tax earnings of £1.2bn, despite impairment charges expected to total £7.9bn. Chief executive Stephen Hester is also [...]
Ex-AIG execs to pay $16.5m August 6, 2009 THE FORMER chief executive of AIG, Maurice “Hank” Greenberg has agreed to pay $15m (£9m) to settle government allegations that he cooked the books to inflate the stricken insurer’s earnings. AIG’s former chief financial officer Howard Smith has also agreed to pay $1.5m to settle Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges relating to his and [...]
WHAT LIES BEHIND THE PROFIT FALLS AT STANDARD LIFE? August 5, 2009 BARRIE CORNES PANMURE GORDON“Standard Life has reported a slightly disappointing set of first-half figures. The miss on statutory profitability stems from lower management charges, Canadian property and other assets on its balance sheet. We maintain our “Hold” recommendation.” DUNCAN HALL FINNCAP“The statutory reporting method does tend to depress profits. The general feeling is that Standard [...]
IS LLOYDS BANKING GROUP NOW OVER THE WORST OF ITS WOES? August 5, 2009 SANDY CHEN PANMURE GORDONAlthough management expects impairment to abate in the second half of 2009, this is not usually what happens in the trough before a recession. We expect that book value of equity per share will continue to be eroded by further losses. We are comfortable with our full-year forecast of -35p earnings per [...]
Old Mutual earnings dive as new business is hard to find August 5, 2009 OLD MUTUAL, the insurer listed jointly in the UK and South Africa, reported a bigger-than-expected drop in statutory profits yesterday, despite making improvements at its troubled US life business. South Africa’s largest insurer said its earnings were boosted by investment returns from its US bond portfolio, offsetting weakness in Europe and South African arm Nedbank. [...]
Standard Life profits plunge August 5, 2009 STANDARD Life yesterday admitted it has joined the ranks of insurers struggling in the recession, stating its pre-tax profits were down 86 per cent in the first half as consumers cut their pension savings. The group said markets remained “challenging”, as it unveiled an underlying pre-tax profit drop from £345m in the first half of 2008 [...]
