Best of the Brokers for 15 August 2013 August 14, 2013 JUPITER Cantor Fitzgerald keeps its “buy” rating and target at 431p following a placing by big investor TA Associates at 350p per share. The broker remains impressed by the fund manager’s cost control and prospects for a dividend. AVIVA Canaccord Genuity has upgraded the insurer from “hold” to “buy” and raised its target from 385p [...]
City Moves for 14 August 2013 | Who’s switching jobs August 13, 2013 Aviva Investors The asset management business has announced the appointment of Sunita Kara as portfolio manager for European high yield. Kara has over 14 years’ experience in the investment industry. She was most recently at Baring Asset Management, where she was global high yield portfolio manager. Prior to that, she was a senior credit analyst [...]
Any Other Business – 14/08 August 13, 2013 ■ It’s barely 24 hours since BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman shocked middle Britain with his Twitter-trending facial hair, but bookies are already taking bets on how long the interviewer’s designer stubble will last. Ladbrokes is offering 4/5 odds-on that Paxman’s beard sees out the week – while punters who think he’ll go for a [...]
Aviva boss talks down scale of recovery at UK insurance giant August 8, 2013 AVIVA’S share price hit a two year high yesterday – but the company’s new chief executive insists he has merely made “satisfactory progress” on his turnaround plan. First half pre-tax operating profits at the FTSE 100 insurer were up five per cent to over £1bn, with the stock closing up 7.6 per cent. Mark Wilson, who took control [...]
Standard Life hits record sales due to asset management arm August 8, 2013 SCOTTISH insurer Standard Life yesterday reported record new business sales, largely thanks to a strong performance by its fund management division. Pre-tax operating profits rose six per cent to £304m for the first half of 2013, with a substantial jump in the number of customers joining the company through corporate pension schemes. “Standard Life Investments [...]
London Report: China trade data surprise breaks FTSE’s losing run August 8, 2013 THE FTSE 100 benchmark equity index broke a four-day losing streak yesterday as forecast-beating trade data from China, the world’s biggest metals consumer, lifted mining stocks. China’s exports and imports both rose more than expected in July, in a tentative sign of economic recovery. The basic materials sector added 12 points to Britain’s FTSE 100, [...]
Standard Life reports slip in first half pre-tax profits and earnings per share August 8, 2013 Standard Life is the second major insurer to report a boost in operating profits this morning, with group pre-tax operating profits up six per cent to £304m (release). However, pre-tax profits slipped 6.6 per cent to £281m. Basic earnings per share was also down to 3.5p from 5.5p. Operating profits were boosted by a 28 [...]
Aviva announces turnaround as operating profits hit £1bn August 8, 2013 Aviva has embraced its turnaround as first half operating profits tops a billion pounds thanks to sales increases in key markets despite weakness in Italy and Spain (release). Pre-tax operating profits rose to £1.008bn from £959m in the first half of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. Basic earnings per share was 22.8p [...]
London Report: Carney’s first inflation report in the spotlight August 4, 2013 NEW Bank of England governor Mark Carney will take centre stage this week as he announces the latest Quarterly Inflation Report, plus plans to adopt forward guidance on interest rates for the first time. Forward guidance would give the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) a third method of influencing the economy, alongside interest rates and [...]
New regulation threatens the success of Britain’s thriving insurance sector August 4, 2013 SINCE the financial crisis, policymakers have focused on regulating banks. But while banking plays a central role in the financial sector, insurance plays another. The UK insurance industry is the largest in Europe. It manages investments amounting to 26 per cent of annual GDP, and accounts for £10.4bn in tax revenue, employing 290,000 people in [...]