Greek shambles saps investor confidence February 10, 2012 Markets saw confidence drain away again today as the shambles surrounding Greece’s attempts to trigger further bailout funds continued unabated. Greece’s economic future hangs in the balance after the country’s international creditors demanded more steps from Athens before they release a rescue package. Resource stocks pegged the FTSE 100 back with miner Anglo American down [...]
Barclays profits fall to £5.9bn February 10, 2012 Barclays has reported a three per cent drop profits to £5.9bn for 2011 – dented by a slowdown at its investment bank arm. The bank also said the bonus pool at the investment banking division was down 32 per cent to £1.5bn in 2011. Income at investment bank arm Barclays Capital (BarCap) fell to £1.8bn [...]
BarCap wins accreditation on Xstrata February 9, 2012 BARCLAYS Capital was yesterday granted accreditation from Thomson Reuters for its role as an investment banking adviser to Xstrata in its £56bn merger deal with Glencore. Its inclusion as an adviser is massively important to the bank, elevating it from eighth to sixth place in the Thomson Reuters M&A league table, as it seeks eventual [...]
Doughty in €355m Spain deal February 9, 2012 BUYOUT group Doughty Hanson has bolstered its presence in the private healthcare market by agreeing to buy Spain’s third largest private hospital operator for €355m (£298m). It will take USP Hospitales, a Madrid-based hospital chain, off the hands of creditors Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The firm’s bid represents a nine times multiple [...]
UK trade deficit plummets to nine-year low as imports take a sharp tumble February 9, 2012 IMPORTS fell sharply in December and exports expanded slightly, taking the UK’s trade deficit to its lowest level since 2003, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed yesterday. The deficit in goods and services fell to £1.1bn for the month, compared with £2.8bn in November. In goods, the deficit fell from £8.9bn to [...]
FTSE up as Greek endgame arrives February 9, 2012 The FTSE 100 crawled up this morning as investors braced themselves for an expected decision on a Greek debt deal and the prospect of the Bank of England pumping in another £50bn into its quantitative easing programme. Greek officials said pension cuts were the sticking point in talks which have lurched from one crisis point [...]
BarCap’s role in £56bn deal is challenged February 8, 2012 BARCLAYS Capital’s last-minute inclusion in the adviser list for the Glencore-Xstrata merger, which has lifted its place in the Thomson Reuters league table for M&A worldwide, has been challenged by one of its rivals. Thomson Reuters, which has lifted BarCap from eighth to sixth following the bank’s declaration that it is an adviser on the [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS February 8, 2012 BARCLAYS Citigroup released a note on UK banks yesterday, maintaining its overall overweight rating on the sector. The broker named Barclays its top pick in the sector, with a “buy” rating and an increase in its target price from 245p to 275p. In the same note, Citi maintained its “buy” rating on Lloyds, HSBC and [...]
Investors waiting for Greece put the brakes on FTSE rally February 8, 2012 BRITAIN’S blue chips closed a touch lower yesterday as investors awaited more clarity on a Greek debt deal. Greek party leaders gathered to agree reforms needed to secure a new EU/IMF rescue package necessary to avoid a chaotic default that would aggravate Europe’s financial crisis. Rating agency Standard & Poor’s added pressure on negotiations between [...]
Miners buoy FTSE as Greece remains on knife edge February 8, 2012 The FTSE 100 opened on the front foot this morning as investors continued to cling onto hopes that Greece could be steered away from financial meltdown. Greek party leaders were set to meet again today to hammer out a reform deal in return for the new €130bn rescue from the IMF and EU. Leaders of [...]