HKEx: a global IPO hot-spot June 21, 2011 THE Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx) is Asia’s third largest exchange in terms of market capitalisation, after Tokyo and Shanghai. It was first established in 1891, although informal exchanges were taking place in Hong Kong for some thirty years previous to that date. Nowadays, the exchange has become well-known for attracting big international companies – [...]
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR | THE SHORTLIST DAY 2 June 20, 2011 LUCKILY for all of us the City is full of rising stars, people we all think will make it to the top. This year’s selection includes Sam Smith, who has been making waves as head of the small cap broker finnCap. We’ve chosen two high-flying lawyers, one investment analyst and a fast rising star from [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 19, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES SMALL AND MID-CAP BROKERS SHINE IN ANNUAL RANKINGS Small and mid-cap brokers have outshone their larger competitors in stockpicking, according to the latest FT/StarMine rankings. Of the top 10 stock-pickers in the UK and Ireland – led by Richard Slape, energy analyst at Canaccord Genuity with his call on Rockhopper Exploration – seven [...]
Fraud involving company heads on the increase June 19, 2011 COMPANY bosses, including those working at the highest level in chief executive or managing director’s offices, are increasingly committing more fraud, according to a report out today. The survey by accountants KPMG found that board members at divisional, subsidiary and corporate level across the world commit nearly one fifth of all fraud cases. The level [...]
Markets shun banks on fear of ringfence June 15, 2011 BRITAIN’S four biggest banks saw £3.5bn wiped off their value yesterday as investors fretted that chancellor George Osborne’s support for a ring-fence of their retail arms could push up costs and erode returns. Barclays and RBS were the biggest fallers, losing 2.7 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively due to their reliance on their investment [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 14, 2011 Lloyds TSB Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance has appointed Gary Lapthorn as marketing and external affairs director. In his new role, Lapthorn will lead the asset-based finance division’s marketing team to help businesses access appropriate finance. Lapthorn, who has been at Lloyds Banking Group for a number of years, joins from the bank’s commercial division, where [...]
Demand for e-books hits new heights June 12, 2011 THE booming demand for smartphones and tablets is fuelling an explosion in the consumption of paid-for online media. The biggest growth area is e-books, with the number of consumers doubling and the average monthly spend rising to almost the level of digital music, according to a new study by KPMG. Smartphone ownership has jumped by [...]
Cable vetoes a Southern Cross bailout June 9, 2011 STRUGGLING care home operator Southern Cross will not receive a government bailout, but the department for business is making sure its banks maintain its flow of credit properly, Vince Cable said yesterday. The news came as Southern Cross told its creditors that it plans to hand back 132 care homes to their landlords, which would [...]
Companies hit the brakes on recruitment in May June 7, 2011 PERMANENT employment in the UK grew for the 22nd month in a row in May, yet the rate of jobs growth slowed to its weakest level since October last year, a report revealed today. Temporary jobs continued to rise, yet at a remarkably sluggish rate. The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 52.4 for temporary [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 7, 2011 KPMG David O’Hara has been appointed as a principal investment consultant to lead KPMG’s newly established Scottish advisory team. O’Hara, who will be based in Glasgow, joins from Hymans Robertson, where he provided investment advice to a range of private and public UK pension schemes. DOLPHIN CAPITAL INVESTORS The emerging markets resorts investor has appointed [...]