WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 13, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES PRIVATE EQUITY GROUPS BOOST STAKES IN HOT FUNDS Investors in the secondary leveraged buy-out fund market are using further leverage to finance such purchases, adding another layer of risk and stirring up memories of the debt-fuelled private equity boom ahead of the financial crisis. While private equity groups in Europe and the US [...]
Italian gold may be just the job to save the day: A mini solution to Italy’s debt crisis November 10, 2011 GETTING the gold out of Italy isn’t easy. Just ask Michael Caine. However, if as some commentators are now speculating, there is no other option, the only thing worse than trying to sneak it out in a coach along treacherous Alpine roads would be trying to sell it. The odds of getting anything close to [...]
HOME FROM HOME FOR HYDE PARK OLIGARCHS November 9, 2011 LUCA del Bono has been busy ever since he exited Quintessentially, the concierge service he started with Ben Elliot, to start his property fund Del Bono & Partners. The leisure-focused fund has bought £150m-worth of property over the last two years, recently acquiring the C London restaurant in Mayfair and 50 St James’s, where del [...]
Labour’s plan for business: Government should unite profit with social purpose November 9, 2011 WHEN private equity firm NPM Capital and the current management bought out a sleepy Dutch carpet manufacturer called Desso in 2007, they were seeking to do what all successful investors do: to find a gap in the market from which they could profit. And profit they have. Following the buy out, Desso’s market share rose [...]
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 [...]
IPOs set for November rebound in the US November 8, 2011 THE IPO machine is set to roar back into life this month with 16 floats due in the US. The 11 deals scheduled for next week will make it the busiest seven day period since November 2007, according to US investment advisor Renaissance Capital. The US listings include consumer reviews website Angie’s List, which wants to [...]
Victory in battle to bring renminbi market to City November 7, 2011 EXCLUSIVE THE CITY has taken a major step towards becoming the first offshore trading centre for the Chinese renminbi after the FSA began work on loosening up regulations for Chinese banks, City A.M. can reveal. Following moves by HM Treasury (HMT) to push the issue up the agenda, the FSA has kicked off due diligence [...]
Rivals Hintze and Odey rise despite gloom November 7, 2011 BIG name managers such as Crispin Odey and Michael Hintze have bucked the autumn gloom in hedge funds by making gains amid hopes Eurozone leaders are finally tackling the debt crisis. Odey Asset Management, one of Europe’s biggest hedge fund firms, saw its European fund, run by founder Crispin Odey, gain 9.1 per cent in October, [...]
Sale is a sensible move but it’s time to break out the cava, not champagne November 7, 2011 CARPHONE took the rough with the smooth yesterday, cashing in on one success while taking the failure of another on the chin. The US sale crystallises value for Carphone shareholders – who are in for a payday – but the deal is not spectacular in and of itself. Best Buy has factored in an expected [...]
Greek affairs so labyrinthine even Theseus would struggle November 6, 2011 INVESTORS and traders alike spent most of last week dazed and confused. Equity, bond, commodity and FX markets swung around wildly as they responded to headline news out of Greece and G20. There was no time available for detailed analysis, and even Theseus would have struggled to navigate the labyrinth that is Greek politics. While [...]