It’s time the City – and the UK – show support for a capital markets union February 18, 2015 Few people have anything good to say about the European economy. The pipes, they say, are clogged up – and even if they can be unblocked, they are rusting away. Brussels is normally seen either as a blockage, or as a hapless plumber who can’t figure out a solution. But work is progressing in Brussels [...]
Europe unlikely to pull plug on Greece’s banks February 17, 2015 The European Central Bank (ECB) is unlikely to end emergency lending to Greek banks today despite a standoff between Europe and Athens. Only last week, the ECB extended the cap on emergency funding (ELA) to Greece by €5bn (£3.7bn) to €65bn. “There is no sudden end of ELA expected this week,” a person familiar with the [...]
Quindell shares jump as Morgan Stanley takes a bigger slice of it February 16, 2015 SHARES in Quindell closed 9.5 per cent higher to 75p yesterday, after Morgan Stanley increased its stake to more than five per cent. Shares in the insurance claims processor are still more than half of their value compared to last year, after the company was accused of having “magical… paper profits” by mysterious US-based short [...]
Quindell share price jumps 8.3 per cent as Morgan Stanley increases stake February 16, 2015 Shares in Quindell jumped more than eight per cent to 74.25p in mid-afternoon trading, after Morgan Stanley increased its stake to more than five per cent. Shares in the insurance claims processor lost more than 90 per cent of their value last year, after the company was accused of having "magical… paper profits" by mysterious US-based [...]
Revamped Institute of Directors finds its voice in time for general election February 15, 2015 With its grand architecture, and seemingly arcane rules, the Institute of Directors (IoD) has often felt more like a gentleman’s club than a political body. However, under director general Simon Walker, the renowned business institution is getting a bit of a shake-up. Previously characterised as a rather safe organisation, the IoD has been far more [...]
Obama phones Putin, warns him to negotiate ahead of Minsk summit February 11, 2015 US President Barack Obama has upped the rhetoric over Ukraine, using a phone call to tell Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peaceful settlement this week. The phone call came after Obama confirmed he had asked officials to look into supplying the Ukrainian government with weapons to fight the Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine. Putin is meeting [...]
Tesco defends supplier price cut demands February 8, 2015 TESCO defended itself last night against accusations that it was putting pressure on suppliers to cut prices in line with falling commodity costs, saying it held regular talks in a bid to obtain the best prices for customers. The ailing supermarket chain, which is in the process of turning itself around following last year’s accounting [...]
Tesco tells suppliers to cut prices as commodities slump February 8, 2015 Tesco has delivered a stern message to its suppliers: cut prices or your products could be taken off the shelves. The scandal-hit supermarket is still rebuilding its reputation following the revelation of ia £263m profit blackhole last year, yet an ongoing price war with discounters such as Aldi and Lidl has kept its [...]
Tesco faces investigation by yet another regulator over payment to suppliers February 5, 2015 Tesco has fallen under the scrutiny of yet another regulator, as a huge black hole in profits continues to raise questions about the supermarket's practices. In September last year, Tesco revealed that it overstated its group profits for the six months to 23 August by an estimated £250m, which was soon revised up to £263m. [...]
KPMG and chief operating officer fined over ethical standards breach February 3, 2015 KPMG and its chief operating officer James Marsh have been fined by the Financial Reporting Council for breaching ethical standards The auditing firm and its executive were taken to tribunal over Marsh's failure to sell shares in Cable and Wireless Worldwide when he became a partner of KPMG in 2011. The telecoms giant, [...]