JLT takes majority stake in Chilean firm in an effort to add global reach June 28, 2011 INSURANCE broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson agreed to buy a controlling stake in Chile’s fourth-biggest broker yesterday in a bid to strengthen its presence in the fast-growing Latin America region. JLT will buy 50.1 per cent of Alta, the holding company of Orbital Corredores de Seguros, a broker that has been a member of its international [...]
STRICTLY BUSINESS BRIEF ENDS VINCE CABLE’S DANCING DREAM June 28, 2011 THERE is something bothering business secretary Vince Cable – and it’s not the separation of retail and investment banking, the Greek debt crisis or even waging war on Rupert Murdoch. No – Cable is concerned his demanding day job could mean he never fulfils his dream of returning to Strictly Come Dancing for a full [...]
INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR | The Shortlist day eight June 28, 2011 Insurance companies have endured an exceptionally costly year so far thanks to a bitter winter in Europe and devastating earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. Insured losses in the first quarter alone are at a record level, testing the discipline of firms’ risk management. As the largest insurance hub in Europe, the City’s insurers play [...]
Banks and commodities lift FTSE June 28, 2011 The FTSE 100 tracked gains in Asia and on Wall Street this morning as fears of an economic meltdown in Greece were eased with France moving to give the country a reprieve. Banking and commodity sectors saw a lift as new life was breathed into global markets. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his country’s banks [...]
RETAIL BANK OF THE YEAR | The Shortlist day seven June 27, 2011 Retail banking in Britain is in the throes of monumental change this year, as the big-name players grapple with the reforms being drawn up by the Independent Commission on Banking. The shifting landscape has also allowed newcomers to gain a foothold in the market, giving our list of top retail banks this year a fresh [...]
Europe’s debt disease threatens contagion June 27, 2011 THE Eurozone’s banks look perilously weak. Regulatory uncertainty and the Greek debt disaster present a bleak outlook. While the UK’s banks are much stronger, with less direct exposure to Greece, they too would be affected by a larger Eurozone implosion. Yet even if things go bad, there are opportunities for traders in Contracts for Difference [...]
FTSE up but investors jittery over Greek crisis June 27, 2011 The FTSE 100 was up this morning but investors remained wary ahead of yet another chapter in the Greek financial crisis. Greek MPs are due to debate a fresh package of austerity measures later. The euro slipped as confidence in the eurozone continued to be sapped by Greece’s debt pile. Meanwhile France’s Christine Lagarde was [...]
LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR | The Shortlist day six June 26, 2011 THOUGH pipeline deals that spurred record law firm profits last decade are yet to return, an influx of regulation and demand for innovative ways to raise capital means law firms are more in demand than ever. Whether running multi-billion pound IPOs or reforming how their businesses are run, our shortlisted firms are at the top [...]
Meet the IT man behind JK Rowling’s Pottermore June 26, 2011 JK ROWLING hit the headlines last week when she scuppered Apple and Amazon by taking her books into the digital world on her own online platform. Her entrepreneurial endeavour, however, was built by another rather entrepreneurial endeavour: a digital agency called Think. Think has only existed for eight years. It has travelled all the way [...]
DEALMAKER OF THE YEAR June 23, 2011 Recessions are when reputations are made, they say, and that has been true in the world of fund managers. While some have battened down the hatches, the ones on our list have seen opportunity in crisis, and pushed ahead with flotations and expansions, or have just taken the chance to expand. All are stars in [...]