UK grocers Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco set to show their hand in Christmas battle for sales January 10, 2016 The winners and losers of the battle for this winter’s Christmas dinner will be laid bare this week as Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco prepare to report tough trading amid intense competition in the grocery sector. Morrisons will report its Christmas trading figures on Tuesday, with the Bradford-based chain expected to post a two per cent decline [...]
Euribor trial: 11 former Barclays, Deutsche Bank and Societe Generale employees set for first court appearance over rate fixing allegations January 10, 2016 Nearly a dozen people accused of manipulating a key rate of lending between European banks are due to make their first appearances in court this week in the latest of several rate rigging prosecutions brought by the Serious Fraud Office. 11 former employees of Barclays, Deutsche Bank and Societe Generale will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday over alleged manipulation of the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor). The men and [...]
Financial Conduct Authority interim chief executive Tracey McDermott says regulator isn’t “going soft” on banks January 9, 2016 The Financial Conduct Authority is "not going soft on banks", its interim chief executive Tracey McDermott said after the regulator dropped probes into the banking industry. Speaking to the BBC, McDermott said: "We're not going soft on the banks, we're not being told what to do by the government. We have objectives which are set for [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 index falls further to cap off a bad week January 8, 2016 The FTSE 100 index fell again on Friday, finishing just under 6,000 to cap off a bad week, as concerns over the Chinese economy continued to weigh. "A turbulent start to 2016 has seen investors adopting the brace position, as a combination of factors have driven global markets lower," Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown, said. "With [...]
FTSE 100 index remains under 6,000 mark as fears over the Chinese economy linger January 8, 2016 After the FTSE 100 index faltered in late morning trading, it has rebounded back towards the gains it made at the open – but still remains below the 6,000 mark. The rebound comes as concerns over weakness in the Chinese economy continue to weigh on European markets. The UK's blue-chip index rose 0.44 per cent to 5,979 points in early afternoon [...]
Tesco share price soars after Barclays upgrades to buy recommendation January 8, 2016 Tesco's share price soared five per cent this morning after Barclays upgraded its rating on the stock to buy. Barclays moved its weighting from equal weight to overweight, saying recent declines in its share price had now lowered the stock to attractive levels. [stockChart code="TSCO" date="2016-01-08 11:45"] It also believes there are improvements to the [...]
FCA launches probe over alleged bond market rigging by trader at Lloyds Banking Group January 6, 2016 The City’s watchdog has launched a probe into whether the UK government bond market was manipulated by a trader at Lloyds Banking Group. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is looking into whether at least one Lloyds trader sought to increase profits by driving down the price of the bonds or by inflating their prices when [...]
EU referendum: Barclays, HSBC bosses give evidence to MPs on Britain’s EU membership, say City would “thrive” after Brexit January 6, 2016 The City would retain its status as a global financial centre if British voters back leaving the European Union, a Barclays executive has claimed. Speaking to MPs on the Treasury select committee this afternoon, Mark Astaire, vice chair of the investment banking division at Barclays, said that while London has “thrived” within the European Union, [...]
Aberdeen falls to lowest point since 2012 on Barclays downgrade January 5, 2016 Aberdeen Asset Management shares fell to a three-and-a-half-year low today, weighed heavily by a Barclays downgrade. Investors were rattled by a note from the bank downgrading the stock to “underweight” from “equalweight” amid worries it would need to work harder to slash costs. Aberdeen closed 2.4 per cent lower on the news at 275.2p, its [...]
Barclays reportedly reviewing allowance practices in light of EU banker bonus cap January 3, 2016 Barclays is reportedly reviewing its compensation programme to make sure that bonus and “allowance” payments comply with increasingly strict European Union regulations. The EU’s bonus cap, intended to discourage bankers from taking excessive risks, limits annual bonuses to 100 per cent of an employee’s salary, or 200 per cent with shareholders’ approval. To circumvent the [...]