BT forced into making cuts on broadband rate July 20, 2011 BT will have to cut the wholesale prices it can charge Internet Service Providers (ISPs) using its broadband network by 12 per cent on top of inflation each year, under a decision made yesterday by the regulator Ofcom. The price reduction, which will be in place by mid August of this year and continue until [...]
BAT eyes Bulgarian bid July 17, 2011 BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (BAT) is in ongoing talks to buy Bulgaria’s state-owned tobacco company, in a deal worth in the region of £100m. The world’s second largest cigarette producer, whose brands include Dunhill and Lucky Strikes, is one of three companies that have so far submitted tender offers for Bulgartabac holding, which was put up [...]
Banks hit by S&P Greece default blow July 4, 2011 Banking shares took a hit in early trading after ratings agency S&P issued a fresh warning over the Greek debt crisis. S&P said Greece would be likely to default if it follows a debt rollover plan in which French banks would allow the country to pay back its debt to them over decades. Investors were [...]
Adventures tailor-made for City boy weekends July 3, 2011 IT’S the perennial Monday morning question: “What did you do over the weekend?” And in most offices: “Erm, not much,” just doesn’t cut it week after week. Especially in the City, where even the most passive of activities can be made competitive. Three men – Alastair Poulain, a former venture capitalist, Nick Newbury who worked [...]
Heartening US data prompts market rally July 1, 2011 Financial stocks have powered ahead today after good economic news from the US and a reduction in concerns over Greece’s debt prompted a market rally. Lloyds, Barclays and RBS, the UK’s three biggest banks, have provided firepower to the FTSE 100, leaving it 0.7 per cent higher at the close, at 5,989.76 and bringing it [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 30, 2011 Penningtons Penningtons Solicitors has boosted its corporate practice by appointing James Klein as a partner. Klein, who was previously a partner with Berwin Leighton Paisner, will lead the corporate team at Penningtons’ City office, bringing the number of partners at the firm to 63. Klein has a strong track record of corporate finance transactions, including [...]
Sky directors expect News to pay more June 26, 2011 SOURCES close to BSkyB’s independent directors were last night calling for Rupert Murdoch to pay at least £9 per share to take full control of the satellite broadcaster. The same sources also indicated that a price of up to £10.40 a share, as called for by Crispin Odey, the founder of Odey Asset Management and [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 15, 2011 Advertising Association Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT Retail, has been appointed as president of the Advertising Association, the representative body for marketing communications in the UK, representing agencies, media companies and advertisers. In his new role as president, Patterson will bring the three sectors together to champion the role of advertising and protect its [...]
Just-in-time is on the rocks but not sunk yet June 13, 2011 DURING Japan’s rise, its companies developed the just-in-time method of manufacturing, allowing greater efficiency of production. Following the devastating Tohoku earthquake earlier this year, manufacturers across the world – including Toyota, which pioneered the just-in-time production system – suffered, and continue to suffer, from disruption to their global supply chains. Many companies have bounced back [...]
BT to live trial new wireless broadband May 25, 2011 EVERYTHING Everywhere and BT Wholesale yesterday announced the first live trial of 4G LTE broadband. The project in Cornwall will use BT’s infrastructure and Everything Everywhere’s mobile network to provide superfast broadband to 700 rural premises. The firm says the trial will be used to test the performance of a 4G LTE network outside lab [...]