Omnicom shares jump on merger news July 29, 2013 Omnicom shares opened up over seven per cent today on news of its planned $35bn merger with fellow advertising giant Publicis. The Nasdaq-listed company saw its share price surpass $70 and hovered around that point. Following the release of its earnings data on 18 July, a number of analysts upped their predictions for Omnicom, with [...]
Barclays shares slump as it confirms regulator talks to fix balance sheet July 29, 2013 Shares in Barclays have dropped by more than 3.5 per cent today as it confirms that it is in discussions with the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) "regarding its financial and capital management plans" (release). The 9.46 announcement appears to have had little impact on the bank's shares, which dropped on the open. The statement has [...]
US drugmaker Perrigo agrees deal to buy Elan for $8.6bn ($16.50 per share) July 29, 2013 US drugmaker Perrigo has agreed to buy Elan for $8.6bn (£5.5bn) ending a long battle in which Elan rejected three hostile bids by US investment firm Royalty Pharma before putting itself up for sale last month. The deal will give Perrigo significant tax savings from being domiciled in Ireland, which has a 12.5 per cent [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 29 July 2013 July 28, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Treasury pledges £2m for SFO probe The UK Treasury is expected to pledge special “blockbuster” funding to the Serious Fraud Office to back its investigation into Barclays’ emergency fundraising five years ago, in a sign of the agency’s escalating probe into the bank. The cash-strapped SFO, which launched a criminal investigation into the [...]
Mo Farah calls for Barclays to change mind on payment firms July 28, 2013 BARCLAYS yesterday rejected calls from Olympic champion Mo Farah to keep working with up to 250 payments firms, including four who send payments to Somalia. A crackdown on banks who do not take proper precautions against money launderers means lenders are reviewing who they work with. “Cutting this lifeline would be a disaster for millions,” [...]
Banks’ PPI bill set to increase July 28, 2013 BARCLAYS is expected to set aside more money tomorrow to pay compensation to customers who were missold payment protection insurance and interest rate swaps. The bank will set aside at least another £150m to repay small firms who were missold swaps, taking the total compensation bill for those products to more than £1bn, according to [...]
London Report: UK’s corporate calendar packed in results season July 28, 2013 THE CORPORATE calendar is packed this week, as businesses including ITV, BP, Lloyds, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland update the market amid a swathe of other results. The week begins with figures from Fidessa Group, Hammerson, InterContinental Hotels Group, Intertek Group, JKX Oil & Gas, Keller Group, Senior, Vernalis, Reckitt Benckiser Group, National Grid, [...]
Any Other Business – 29/07 July 28, 2013 ■ While many City fitties were pounding the streets of the capital for the London Triathlon this weekend, a smaller group donned trainers and Speedos for a less competitive race. Barclays banker Jim Westropp and friends from BNP Paribas, Partners Capital and CBRE ran six miles around town dressed only in brightly coloured pairs of [...]
UBS $885m settlement with US regulators strikes fear into European banks July 26, 2013 Swiss bank UBS will pay $885m (£575m) in a settlement with US regulators over allegations it misrepresented mortage-backed bonds during the housing bubble, it was announced today. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees state-sponsored housing enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said that UBS would pay $415m to Fannie May and $470m to [...]
City fears UK’s growth will be unsustainable July 25, 2013 THE UK economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the second quarter, doubling its pace of growth and giving a boost to George Osborne, who hopes he is at last escaping the stagnation that has dogged the coalition since it took office in 2010. Services, manufacturing and construction all grew in the three-month period, a [...]