Infrastructure deal: December 3, 2013 ■ Six major insurers have announced plans to collectively invest £25bn in UK infrastructure over the next five years. They are: Legal & General, Aviva, Prudential, Scottish Widows, Standard Life and Friends Life. ■ The government has unveiled a new national infrastructure plan containing over £375bn of public and private sector projects in the pipeline. [...]
Tidjane Thiam: from Paris with love December 3, 2013 PRUDENTIAL boss Tidjane Thiam sent a pretty overt message to his French countrymen when he accepted his Grand Prix de l’Economie award last week. Facing a packed Parisian audience (which included Christine Lagarde), Tidjane – a graduate of France’s top universities – chose to extol the UK’s business practices, describing the UK as having a “unique [...]
Harlequins rout hands Richards a grim reunion December 1, 2013 RUTHLESSNESS and patience were Harlequins boss Conor O’Shea’s watchwords yesterday after his side showed their killer instinct to seal a 35-9 bonus-point Aviva Premiership Rugby win at Newcastle. An early Tom Williams try, a double from fellow wing Sam Smith and scrum-half Danny Care’s cunning score gave Quins their fourth straight top-flight victory, moving them [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 29 November 2013 November 28, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Apollo in Aviva’s UK property deal Apollo Global Management is closing in on the purchase of a £400m block of distressed UK property holdings put up for sale by Aviva, the FTSE 100 insurer, said people familiar with the matter. The private equity house has emerged as the preferred bidder for the assets. [...]
Ojo: Big name Irish backline is best I’ve seen November 28, 2013 LONDON Irish back Topsy Ojo is convinced the current squad is the finest he has played alongside as he prepares to make his 200th appearance for the Exiles in the Aviva Premiership against London Wasps tomorrow. Ojo forms an exciting back three that includes Australian James O’Connor and England international Marland Yarde. And, despite having [...]
Best of the Brokers for 27 November 2013 November 26, 2013 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com HALFORDS UBS has a “buy” recommendation on the bike and car parts retailer and has raised its price target to 530p from 435p. The broker said that Halfords is beginning to improve its specialist credentials but the majority of the turnaround plan is [...]
Young wants Wasps response after surrendering home run November 24, 2013 LONDON Wasps director of rugby Dai Young admits he will be looking for an immediate response after Bath Rugby ended his side’s 100 per cent Aviva Premiership home record yesterday with a 28-5 victory. Two Semesa Rokoduguni tries and the boot of George Ford saw the visitors build a 21-0 lead. And even when Jonah [...]
Haskell targets regular place in Wasps’ line-up November 21, 2013 WATCHING rather than playing for England has been tough for James Haskell, who is determined to avoid a repeat at London Wasps. The back row has been plagued with tendinitis for more than a decade, but having featured for Wasps in the LV= Cup recently is desperate to win back his place, starting with Sunday’s [...]
City Moves for 21 November 2013 | Who’s switching jobs November 20, 2013 Barclays The bank has announced the appointment of James Brincat to its Beyond Benefits business. He has over 12 years’ experience working in financial services. Brincat was most recently at Thomsons Online Benefits, where he was an account director and head of partnerships. ING The financial services group has hired Leo Greve as head of [...]
Analyst Views: Are you pleased with Easyjet’s results? November 19, 2013 TREVOR GREEN AVIVA INVESTORS As shareholders in EasyJet, the final results and outlook statement provided us with further evidence that the strategy being implemented by Carolyn McCall is succeeding. She is also proving to be adept at balancing shareholder returns via a special dividend announcement along with a long term growth strategy. GERT ZONNEVELD PANMURE [...]