Bottom Line: A leap into record books by hedging death March 6, 2014 WHILE the salient facts surrounding insurer Aviva yesterday focused on its encouraging profits and ongoing turnaround, there was one nugget of information which might have failed to catch the eye – the biggest pension trade in history. In a brief statement in its 175-page report, later amplified by chief executive Mark Wilson, Aviva said that [...]
London Report: Corporates push up FTSE despite ECB and Russia March 6, 2014 BRITAIN’s top share index edged higher yesterday, buoyed by updates from Aviva and Aggreko, although lack of action by the European Central Bank (ECB) and uncertainty over Ukraine capped gains. Equities in London tracked Eurozone stocks lower, after ECB president Mario Draghi offered no new measures to boost lending in the region. Speculation that he [...]
Exclusive: Axed Ashton: I don’t worry I’ll miss out on World Cup March 6, 2014 ENGLAND wing Chris Ashton insists missing out on next year’s World Cup is not on his mind, despite being overlooked for a fourth Six Nations match in a row this weekend. The 26-year-old has scored 18 tries in 37 Tests for England, but has not featured in Stuart Lancaster’s team since November and could see [...]
Sarries must end last-four hoodoo March 6, 2014 SARACENS prop Petrus du Plessis admits he is desperate for his team’s semi-final hoodoo to end as they travel to Franklin’s Gardens for another fierce encounter with bitter rivals Northampton Saints tomorrow. The last of Saracens’ three semi-final defeats last term came against Saints in the Aviva Premiership, following losses to Toulon in the Heineken [...]
How Aviva’s leaping into the record books by hedging death rates March 6, 2014 While the news headlines surrounding insurer Aviva this morning focused on its encouraging profits and ongoing turnaround, there was one nugget of information buried deep inside its results which failed to catch the eye – just the biggest pension trade in history. In a brief line on page 126 of the 175-page tome, Aviva says [...]
What you need to know before the open March 6, 2014 Europe’s set for a higher open this morning as investors await today’s European Central Bank (ECB) rate meeting. Another weather-related miss for US services, and disappointing ADP payroll numbers didn’t appear to dent activity too much yesterday, and concerns over Ukraine have seemingly been put on the back burner for now. Opinion is somewhat divided [...]
“Aviva still has issues” says boss as profits rise March 6, 2014 Aviva has reported a six per cent rise in operating profit for 2013, to £2bn. Chief executive Mark Wilson said the businesses’ turnaround is “intensifying”, adding, however, that he wants to “guard against complacency”. Shares have, however, leapt over eight per cent in trading this morning. Source: Google The London-based insurer saw cash flows up [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 03 March 2014 March 3, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Britain to scrap VAT on Bitcoin trades Britain’s tax authority plans to ditch value added tax on Bitcoin trading only days after the collapse of Mt Gox, one of the virtual currency’s leading exchanges, losing almost $500m of customer deposits. In a meeting with a group of UK traders last week, HM Revenue [...]
London Report: UK marks five-year anniversary of low Bank interest rate March 2, 2014 WEDNESDAY marks the five-year anniversary of the Bank of England’s record low 0.5 per cent interest rate, a figure that Thursday’s rates decision is unlikely to change. In other economic news, February PMI reports for manufacturing, construction and services will be announced. The corporate calendar starts today with news from Amlin, Intertek, Keller Group, Senior [...]
No favours for new team from in-form Smith March 2, 2014 HARLEQUINS boss Conor O’Shea admits Worcester Warriors have got their hands on a clinical winger after Sixways-bound Sam Smith led Quins to victory against his future employers on Saturday. Wing David Lemi crossed over in an opening half dominated by Worcester, but Quins fought back through Smith, who scored his third try in four Aviva [...]