CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS November 9, 2011 DLA Piper Tony Angel, the former firm-wide managing partner of Linklaters, has joined DLA Piper as global co-chairman and senior partner of the international law firm. He will serve alongside global chairman Francis B Burch Jr and work with the firm’s chief executives Sir Nigel Knowles and Lee I Miller. Following his tenure at Linklaters [...]
FTSE falls as Italy debt yields spook investors November 9, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares sank to their lowest close for a week yesterday on spiralling concerns over Italy’s debt as the country’s bond yields raced to dangerous levels. Italy was thrown into the spotlight as its 10-year bond yields shot above seven per cent, levels that forced bailouts in Ireland, Portugal and Greece, and as investors [...]
Modelling a return to the old currencies November 9, 2011 THOUGH the debates and political squabbling will continue to rage on in the gilded offices of politicians and central bankers, we have reached the point where many will be looking at the practical side of a return of one or more of the old European currencies. But which will be the first to fall? The [...]
Markets slip as Italy debt crisis deepens November 9, 2011 Dramatic political changes at two of the Eurozone’s crisis-ridden economies initially boosted world stocks but markets went into reverse as it became clear that Italy’s debt woes were escalating. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said late yesterday that he would step down after parliament passes budget reforms. Greece, meanwhile, was working create a consensus government [...]
M&A deals at lowest since 2003 November 8, 2011 THE UK’s share of mergers and takeovers globally has slumped to the lowest on record as just five per cent of world deals now involve UK target companies, data from Dealogic yesterday showed. Dealmaking in the UK this year has been worth only $116.3bn (£72.6bn), 14 per cent lower than in the same period in [...]
Turmoil hits Lansdowne as hedgies falter November 7, 2011 MORE evidence of the struggles of the hedge fund industry has emerged as Lansdowne Partners admitted recording losses of up to 20 per cent at two of its key funds. Lansdowne, which manages $13.3bn (£8.31bn) and is one of many City institutions to have hired Tony Blair after he left Downing Street, has been caught [...]
Markets hit by Eurozone contagion fears November 7, 2011 Banks were the weakest link on the FTSE 100 this morning as the move towards a coalition government in Greece failed to impress wary investors. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who attempted to call a referendum on a crucial European Union bailout plan, will stand down when the new government takes over. Eurozone ministers meet [...]
RBS profits up but warns over more pain to come November 4, 2011 Royal Bank of Scotland has posted pre-tax profits of £2bn in the three months to 30 September, compared with a loss of £1.6bn in the same period last year. RBS followed the likes of Barclays and Morgan Stanley in benefiting from a debt accounting gain, which boosted its earnings by £2.3bn and helped offset lower [...]
New ECB president cuts rates November 3, 2011 MARIO Draghi, the new president of the European Central Bank, cut interest rates at his first meeting in charge yesterday in an effort to head off a “mild recession” in the Eurozone. The benchmark interest rate was cut from 1.5 per cent to 1.25 per cent in a move that surprised markets, who had expected [...]
WPP sells $500m of notes November 3, 2011 Advertising giant WPP yesterday raised $500m through the sale of 10-year senior unsecured bonds. It is understood the company will use the proceeds to refinance its existing debt. Barclays Capital, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland are thought to have led the sale, with BNP Paribas and Citigroup co-managing. The [...]