Ocado investors prop up £36m capital raising November 19, 2012 OCADO’S shareholders ploughed more money into the online grocery chain yesterday to support a £36m placing that will keep the firm financially stable for at least 18 months. Existing shareholders including Jorn Rausing of the Tetra Pak dynasty and Ocado’s management team took up around 19 per cent of the shares placed, in line with [...]
Positive housing market figures give boost to US recovery hopes November 19, 2012 AMERICA’S ailing housing market could be on the mend, according to two positive surveys released across the pond yesterday. US homebuilder sentiment rose for a seventh consecutive month in November and hit its highest level in over six years, according to one widely-regarded survey. The National Association of Home Builders’ housing market index, conducted with [...]
UK’s WANdisco buys out Silicon Valley company November 19, 2012 SHEFFIELD-BORN software company WANdisco yesterday announced it had bought out Silicon Valley data firm AltoStor, as the recently-listed UK outfit makes an aggressive move into the lucrative and fast-growing “Big Data” market. “It’s a real coup for the business,” chief executive David Richards told City A.M., revealing that WANdisco beat “a much bigger, established Silicon [...]
Taylor wins a bigger role at Barclays’ investment bank November 19, 2012 BARCLAYS announced yesterday that Richard Taylor will be its new head of investment banking in Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), filling a gap left by Tom King’s move to take on a global role in a shake-up last month. Taylor, formerly at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is currently head of the investment banking [...]
FTSE 100 up on optimism over fiscal cliff deal November 19, 2012 The leading share index was trading up this morning, buoyed by optimism that the US will avoid the fiscal cliff. Miners and banking shares led the FTSE 100 higher this morning, with Eurasian Natural Resources the biggest blue chip riser, adding 3.27 per cent. On the FTSE All-Share, internet grocer Ocado rose almost 21 per [...]
Grocer Ocado dismisses loan breach fears November 18, 2012 OCADO, the online grocery shop, yesterday brushed off market speculation that it is seeking to renegotiate its debt covenants with its lenders, saying there was “no threat” it would breach its covenants. A weekend report suggested the online supermarket, which floated to much fanfare in 2010, was seeking to reset its debt or extend the [...]
City Moves | Who’s switching jobs November 18, 2012 Boost ETP The investment product provider has appointed Richard Kent (right) as head of product operations and Jose Poncela as senior in-house counsel. Kent joins from UBS, where he was a director in its equity and fund-linked derivatives team. He has also worked for Barclays Capital. Poncela has held roles at Nomura International, UBS and [...]
FTSE 100 down on global growth concerns November 16, 2012 The blue chip index edged down in early deals as investors fretted over US fiscal cliff concerns and Eurozone growth. Buyout group Melrose was the biggest faller on the leading share index, shedding 13.69 per cent as it said it was facing slowing revenue trends. Utility firm Pennon firm 2.55 per cent, while steelmaker Evraz [...]
Will resolution’s turnaround plan be successful? November 15, 2012 KEVIN RYAN | INVESTEC The recovery process is far from assured and shareholders may have to endure further cost hikes. This, combined with no news on the corporate restructuring, leads us to view the outlook as cloudy and we retain our ‘sell’ recommendation. ALAN DEVLIN | BARCLAYS [The results] are further evidence of the company’s [...]
Who’s switching jobs November 15, 2012 Maurice Turnor Gardner The law firm has announced the appointment Sarah Conway as partner in its residential property practice, effective January 2013. She joins from Allen & Overy, where she has worked since 1998. Conway has also held the partnership at Carruthers & Co, and focuses on residential property transactions for high net worth clients. [...]