THE LONDON REPORT September 23, 2009 THE leading share index closed lower yesterday as falling commodity prices stung oil firms and miners while investors stayed cautious ahead of the conclusion of a US Federal Reserve policy meeting. The FTSE 100 ended 0.1 per cent, or 3.23 points, lower at 5,139.37, erasing gains from earlier in the session as shares on Wall [...]
CITY VIEWS: DOES TONY BALL DESERVE TO EARN 30M AS ITV BOSS? September 21, 2009 ROY PARCHMENT AVIVA“That is a huge amount of money for that kind of role. The question is how much value is added by that person to the company? You have to ask how much chief executives contribute to shareholders and profits. If Tony Ball can turn around ITV, then he might be worth it.”DECLAN WOOLOUGHAN [...]
ITVboard is split over Ball pay demands September 17, 2009 TONY Ball is said to be seeking a package worth up to £20m as chief executive of ITV, should he manage to bring the company’s share price back to health. But the boardroom is understood to be split over the terms of the deal, which is expected to include the ex-BSkyB boss putting some of [...]
A true chalet paradise in the Alps September 16, 2009 ACTIVE Ski Retreats is not your average ski holiday resort. It’s not just that Sting has stayed in the chalet– it provides exceptional all-inclusive service, from the provision of the perfect ski boot, to delicious aperitifs to four course dinners, with an efficiency and enthusiasm that you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere. All wood [...]
CITY VIEWS: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN LEHMAN WENT UNDER? September 14, 2009 NGUS MACLENNAN ANGMAC LTD“I was caught up in the middle of the banking crisis when it happened, working for a bank. Since then, the pace of City life has certainly slowed down. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. It was somewhat overheated before Lehman fell.” G BERTOLA AVIVA INSURANCE UNDERWRITER“I was on holiday at [...]
High Court scrutiny for Aviva’s reattribution of 1.2bn estate September 13, 2009 AVIVA is to appear in the High Court today to seek approval for its plans to reattribute a £1.2bn inherited estate, in a case it expects will conclude in its favour in just two or three days. The insurer has offered investors £500m to sign away their rights to the estate – made up of [...]
Aviva names USchief executive September 9, 2009 Insurance giant Aviva has named Christopher Littlefield as chief executive officer of its US business. Littlefield, who was chief operating officer, will lead the firm’s US life and annuity business. He will still report to Tom Godlansky, who runs the overall Aviva North America region. Littlefield joined AmerUs Group – which was later acquired by [...]
European stocks near 11-month high September 7, 2009 EUROPEAN shares closed higher yesterday, led by UKchocolate giant Cadbury which soared 38 per cent following a £10.2bn bid approach from US company Kraft Foods. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares rose 1.4 per cent to 975.90 points, just 0.3 per cent away from an 11-month closing high. The European benchmark index has [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS September 3, 2009 Pinsent MasonsThe law firm has appointed Raymond Beven as a London-based partner, responsible for leading the transport team within the firm’s projects and international construction group. Beven will be tasked with working across a broad transport portfolio including airports, rail and ports and projects in the Middle East, Caspian region and Europe. He joins from [...]
THE LONDON REPORT September 2, 2009 THE benchmark share index closed flat yesterday as a retreat in financials and miners, triggered by weak US data, was offset by stronger energy stocks, after a “giant” oil find by BP. The FTSE 100 index ended down 2.15 points at 4,817.55, after it fell 1.8 per cent on Tuesday. US private employers cut 298,000 [...]