HSBC launches $2bn share buyback after rising rates helps bank beat expectations August 1, 2023 HSBC launched a new $2bn (£1.56bn) share buyback programme after comfortably beating expectations in the second quarter. In the three months to June, pretax profit hit $8.8bn (£6.86bn) – over $4bn higher than last year and surpassing the $8bn predicted by analysts. The strong performance reflected the impact of rising interest rates around the world [...]
London expansion picks up pace for Spanish bank Alantra as series of hires give boost to the City July 31, 2023 Spanish investment bank Alantra has made a series of new hires in the year so far as its push into the London market picks up the pace. So far this year it has brought in Graham Nicoll from Barclays to lead its Midlands team while Sulaiman Bosha has joined from Crito Capital as a managing [...]
Bank of England interest rate rises yet to pass fully through economy as borrowing ticks up July 31, 2023 The effects of the Bank of England’s aggressive interest rate rises have yet to fully feed through the UK economy as Brits continue to borrow and look to get on the property ladder, official data out today shows. A clutch of numbers released by the Bank of England today revealed consumers are not yet being [...]
Savings rates: Nine big banks face ‘robust’ action if they can’t prove fair value July 31, 2023 The nine largest banks have passed on just 28 per cent of base rate increases in easy access savings accounts since the beginning of last year, as the City watchdog issued a new set of rules to ensure savers get a fair deal. Under new rules coming into place, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates for 14th time in a row to 2008 high of 5.25 per cent July 31, 2023 The Bank of England this week is tipped to hike interest rates for the 14th time in a row as it extends its fight against roaring inflation. Members of the nine-strong monetary policy committee (MPC) are expected on Thursday to back a 25 basis point increase to the UK’s official interest rate, which would send [...]
Interest rate boost slowing for banks as changing customer behaviour cuts margins July 30, 2023 The UK’s high street banks have warned that the boon from rising interest rates might be coming to an end as changing customer behaviour and an increasingly competitive mortgage market hits margins. Natwest, Barclays and Lloyds recorded bumper profits last week, but investors were dismayed by the more cautious outlook. Both Natwest and Barclays UK [...]
Telegraph and Spectator appoint Goldman Sachs to run sale July 28, 2023 The boards of the Telegraph and The Spectator have appointed investment bank Goldman Sachs and law firm Linklaters to advise on their sale, they said in a statement on Friday. Lender Lloyds Banking Group seized control of the centre-right Daily and Sunday Telegraph and the politics-led Spectator last month after their ultimate owners, the Barclay family, failed to [...]
FTSE 100 close: British Gas owner propels to top of London index after record profit July 27, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 bumped higher today after a manic morning of company earnings gave a lift to market sentiment. The capital’s premier index added 0.21 per cent to reach 7,692.77 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed 0.45 per cent to 19,273.37 points. [...]
Barclays shares slide after lowering interest guidance for full year despite beating expectations July 27, 2023 Barclays shares dropped after the lender said it expects the tailwind from rising interest rates to be slowing, despite beating expectations in the second quarter. In the three months to June, Barclays’ profit rose 31 per cent to nearly £2bn, slightly higher than the £1.9bn analysts had predicted. On the back of the results, Barclays [...]
Bankenheimer: Number of banks shunning nuclear weapons jumps 10 per cent July 27, 2023 As Christopher Nolan’s epic about Oppenheimer, Godfather of the atomic bomb, hits cinema screens, new research shows banks globally are pulling back from funding nuclear weapons. According to a new report from Don’t Bank on the Bomb, 109 financial firms worldwide have published policies restricting investment in nuclear weapon producers. This was roughly 10 per [...]