The ex-investment banker who is shaking up the retail trading world November 22, 2010 ROBIN OSMOND does not come across as somebody intent on disrupting the status quo. But this is exactly what the softly spoken and quietly animated LMAX chief executive has in his sights with the launch of the firm’s new retail trading venue. The exchange, which currently offers contracts for difference (CFD) and rolling spot FX, [...]
EU not City dictates capital’s future November 15, 2010 THERE is something magical about the Lord Mayor’s annual banquet at the Guildhall. One is surrounded by pomp and pageantry; all the guests are decked out in white tie and tails, and dozen upon dozen of Britain’s top business executives make the time to listen to the Prime Minister, the Lord Mayor, the Lord Chancellor [...]
Vodafone set to pay £350m in tax dispute November 15, 2010 VODAFONE was yesterday told it must pay £350m in relation to its Indian tax dispute within the next three weeks. The telecoms giant must also make a bank guarantee worth £1.2bn within eight weeks. Vodafone is embroiled in a legal battle with Indian authorities over a disputed capital gains tax bill relating to its 2007 [...]
OFT claims new banks face hurdles to high street success November 4, 2010 THE OFFICE of Fair Trading (OFT) said yesterday that smaller retail banks face significant challenges when trying to entice customers away from the high street giants. Customers are reluctant to switch banks and remain loyal to existing brands, the watchdog said in a research paper published yesterday. Smaller banks also complained of difficulties in getting [...]
PRICES NEED SCIENCE NOT GUESSWORK November 4, 2010 SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR AND AUTHOR PRICE is well known to be the single most powerful determinant of profit, so why continue to use guesswork more than science? What is the right price for your product and service? Do you really have an educated idea? Have you gone to the trouble of testing and checking different prices, [...]
Exchange crash may be sabotage November 2, 2010 A WORKER at the London Stock Exchange is being investigated over allegations he deliberately sabotaged its Turquoise trading platform. The high frequency trading platform crashed during early morning trading yesterday and was offline for two hours. The exchange released a statement saying the incident was caused by human error that “may have occurred in suspicious [...]
Virgin media nets more money per user October 27, 2010 Cable operator Virgin Media added fewer net new customers in the third quarter than expected but managed to extract record sums from each user. Virgin Media, which competes in Britain with BT and BSkyB in the provision of broadband, telephony and pay-TV, said it had added 14,100 net new customers in the period ending September, [...]
ICB puts the spotlight on competition October 24, 2010 THE INDEPENDENT Commission on Banking (ICB) has written to the Treasury to underline the importance of promoting competition after the shake-up of the UK’s regulatory structure is complete. In its first public recommendation, the commission – headed by former Office of Fair Trading boss Sir John Vickers – called on the government to ensure that [...]
Rolet to speak out on regulation October 20, 2010 London Stock Exchange chief executive Xavier Rolet will appear next week before the Treasury select committee, to give evidence on its inquiry into financial regulation in the UK. Rolet has been vocal in his opposition to new proposals to split the regulation of the primary and secondary capital raising markets, under which the former will [...]
World Bank attacks US currency policy October 19, 2010 Surging capital inflows threaten Asia’s economic stability, the World Bank has warned, a day after US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner sought to draw the venom from a global row over currencies by vowing not to devalue the dollar. The World Bank buttressed the argument made by China and others that US policies are sending a [...]