UK banks are facing a battle with diminishing returns September 25, 2012 AS LONDON’S top bankers meet for their annual Merrill Lynch conference, upbeat public pronouncements can’t conceal the cloud hanging over the sector’s future. The news that Singapore investment fund Temasek is mulling offloading its £6bn stake in Standard Chartered is a typically gloomy indicator. Standard Chartered, after all, thanks to its exposure to Asian growth, [...]
Bank: Funding plan might not bolster lending September 25, 2012 NOT ALL banks in the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) will increase lending, a top Bank of England official conceded yesterday, arguing instead that lending may simply fall by a smaller amount thanks to the cheap funds being offered. The government is offering an initial £60bn to the 13 participating banks, with the aim of [...]
BBA to give up Libor supervision September 25, 2012 The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) is poised to give up its responsibility for setting Libor should the Financial Services Authority propose a move. Martin Wheatley, managing director at the City watchdog, will unveil changes to the way the interbank lending rate is supervised on Friday, which is expected to see the BBA relieved of its [...]
FTSE 100 steady on worries over global growth September 25, 2012 The FTSE 100 was modestly up in early deals this morning, as a rally in natural resources and property stocks pulled the index higher, although worries over global growth and Spain’s economy continued to dampen stocks. Spain is due to present its draft budget plan for next year later on this week. Property group Morgan [...]
HSBC increases lending despite rejecting government support September 24, 2012 HSBC raised lending to small firms over the last nine months, and yesterday announced another round of targets on SME credit, arguing that it can do its bit to help the economy without needing support from the government. Rival banks including Barclays, RBS and Lloyds have all cut interest rates to businesses and households in [...]
How did Aberdeen’s asset flow look in this update? September 24, 2012 DANIEL GARROD | BARCLAYS CAPITAL Equities inflows surprise on the upside at £2bn for July/August with encouragingly good diversification away from just GEM. However, the share has been a very strong performer so we could see a little bit of profit taking. HALEY TAM | CITI Strong high margin flows into Asia Pacific, Global EM [...]
FTSE 100 falls on weakness in mining shares September 24, 2012 The leading share index opened down this morning, as headline mining shares dropped on concerns over the weak global outlook. Miner Bumi led the fallers in early trade, as it announced it is to investigate its Indonesian operations for alleged financial irregularities. Miners Evraz, Anglo American and Ferrexpo lost 3.75 per cent, 3.3 per cent [...]
Energy giants sizing up Bord Gais disposal September 23, 2012 SOME OF Britain’s biggest energy firms are circling Ireland’s state-owned gas company as it gears up for privatisation. Bord Gais Energy is to be put on the block by Ireland’s National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), which is looking to raise cash for the bailed-out country through asset disposals. Other stakes that will be sold by [...]
City Moves | Who’s switching jobs September 23, 2012 RBC Wealth Management The wealth management division of the Royal Bank of Canada has announced two appointments to the Americas desk of its UK private client wealth management team. Shehreen Quayyum joins as a director from HSBC Private Bank, where she was an associate director in its international team. She has also worked for HSBC [...]
FTSE 100 jumps on mining gains September 21, 2012 The blue chip index consolidated gains in Asia and the US this morning, as once again miners headed up the morning leaderboard on improved copper prices. Essar Energy and Ruspetro rose 4.15 per cent and 3.85 per cent respectively. Heavyweight miners Vedanta and Bumi added 3.42 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively. Elsewhere, Abu [...]