CITY BACK FROM WEEK OF FROLICS AT COWES August 9, 2009 THE weather-beaten City sailing crowd are back in the City this week after the annual Cowes week regatta, probably feeling a touch worse for wear after the closing celebrations at the weekend. Carphone Warehouse tycoon Charles Dunstone was celebrating winning the overall trophy for his class, after his boat Rio finished ahead of the pack [...]
Time to call a halt to the reporting season pile-up August 5, 2009 THE blizzard of blue chip companies reporting major results in the past fortnight has turned into an avalanche. Yesterday marked the last of the overwhelming diary days – at least for a while. The respite is a relief for the analysts tasked with producing research notes based on the results, not to mention shareholders and [...]
BARCLAYS HIRES CLINTON SPINNER PENN FOR POST-CRUNCH COUNSEL August 5, 2009 BARCLAYS has brought in the big guns. Actually, it’s just the one gun, but they don’t come much bigger – Mark Penn, the American political pollster-cum-public relations guru who numbers both the Clintons, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Microsoft boss Bill Gates among his powerful clients. Penn is the worldwide chief executive of [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS August 4, 2009 Ernst & YoungErnst & Young is expanding its London and Bermuda business with the promotion of three staff. The insurance practice has admitted Richard Battersby and Jeff Soar as partners and promoted Andy Worth to director. Battersby will become the transactions advisory partner, Soar (pictured) will be providing tax services to Lloyd’s and London market [...]
SANTANDER CHIEF BREAKING CITY HEARTS WITH HIS EXOTIC CHARM August 3, 2009 WHILE all the big British bank bosses are pitted against each other this week in terms of first-half profits, Spanish bank Santander’s UK boss António Horta-Osório has been enjoying the glory of a rather more frivolous accolade. Horta-Osório became chief executive of Abbey in August 2006, after long stints at the helm of the bank’s [...]
Tight supply drives sugar even higher August 2, 2009 IT MAY not attract the same attention as crude oil or gold, but the potential for multi-decade highs means that white sugar deserves a closer look from spread betters looking to diversify their trading portfolio. Raw sugar futures hit three-year peaks of at the end of last week with New York’s October contract touching a [...]
Brit misses profit expectations July 30, 2009 LLOYD’S of London insurer Brit said yesterday its pre-tax profits came in below analyst expectations at £64.9m in the first half of the year, excluding currency fluctuations. The figure was a 24.1 per cent rise on the £52.3m pre-tax profit booked in the first half of 2008, but fell short of analyst expectations of £70m. [...]
Beazley profits dive on currency July 27, 2009 Lloyd’s of London insurer Beazley reported a 55 per cent drop in its half-year profit, blaming currency fluctuations, and said it expected to benefit from rising insurance prices in the months ahead. Beazley had a pre-tax profit of £20.1m in the six months to 30 June, down from £45m in 2008.
City cash calls dominate EU July 26, 2009 EQUITY issues in the UK have accounted for 46 per cent of the total issuance in Europe this year so far. The City scramble to raise capital meant giant offerings from HSBC, Rio Tinto and Lloyds Banking Group. Thomson Reuters data shows that of the $129.5bn (£78.8bn) of equity capital market activity seen in Europe [...]
UKFI close to naming chair July 26, 2009 UK FINANCIAL Investments (UKFI) – the body which manages the government’s stakes in Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland – will have a new chairman within weeks, sources said yesterday. The Treasury is leading the search for a candidate to chair UKFI and is believed to have placed Sir David Cooksey, a former [...]