Crossrail hails decision to finish the link May 13, 2010 CROSSRAIL hailed the decision by new Lib-Con transport secretary Philip Hammond not to scrap the £16bn east-west rail link across the capital yesterday. Terry Morgan, chairman of Crossrail, said: “This is welcome news. To get such early and firm support from the government means the project can go forward with confidence.” Morgan added: “This construction [...]
Cameron fails to turn Britain blue May 7, 2010 TORY leader David Cameron had hoped to turn Britain blue today but the party’s plan to target swing voters waned the further the Conservatives moved away from their heartlands in the South East. Conservative strategists masterminded wins from Labour in seats like Kingswood in South Gloucestershire with a swing of 9.4 per cent, or Sutton [...]
GOLDMAN EXECUTIVES KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY May 5, 2010 A RIFLE through the proxy statement issued by Goldman Sachs to its shareholders ahead of tomorrow’s general meeting throws the spotlight firmly back on compensation – and it seems the firm’s executives aren’t the only ones being scrutinised. That’s right – not only are investors being asked to give their thoughts on the pay packages [...]
Music is still playing for Latin America carnival May 4, 2010 LATIN America has always been seen as dangerously volatile by many institutional investors, but the recent stock market carnival is looking like a party too good to miss. The region’s leading economy, Brazil, is now firmly established as one of the BRIC big four. It is also due to host the World Cup in 2014 [...]
F&C surprises with Thames River buyout April 28, 2010 F&C Asset Management’s shares slumped yesterday after the City fund manager said it would pay £33.6m in cash and shares for hedge fund boutique Thames River Capital. F&C, which will hope to spur growth with the deal after a spell of lacklustre performance, saw its shares slip 3.1 per cent to 63.25p yesterday despite positive [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS April 25, 2010 Bluefin Insurance Services The Axa-owned broker has hired a senior property team from risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage Aon. Ed Brown is the first member of the team to join Bluefin. He was formerly a client manager at Aon and now becomes an executive director in Bluefin’s real estate division. He will soon be [...]
A labour of love with rich rewards April 22, 2010 THE idea of buying a romantic, unmodernised property can be immensely appealing, offering both historical charm and the chance to do a place up with your own stamp on it. There’s also the promise of earning yourself a tidy profit when it comes to selling down the road. Simon Barnes, a property consultant, says: “Renovating [...]
London retail boost fuelled by Easter lift April 18, 2010 RETAILERS in central London saw an almost ten per cent rise in sales last month – fuelled by a booming Easter. The figures, based on a comparison with March last year, showed that the weak pound and an increase in Chinese visitors over the holiday helped to keep tills ringing, with a 9.9 per cent [...]
BANKER BASHING IS ‘JUST LOUSY ECONOMICS’ April 18, 2010 AT LONG last, the City’s beleaguered banking contingent has found itself a champion willing to stand up and state the bleedin’ obvious. Tim Morgan, the head of research at inter-dealer broker Tullett Prebon, on Friday put out a damning note condemning our politicians’ obsession with bashing the bankers and non-doms – and advising them to [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS April 15, 2010 Deloitte The accountancy firm has appointed Mark Lillie and Jeremy Harris as partners in its energy, infrastructure and utility practice. Lillie, pictured, will head up the IT strategy team and joins from Booz and Company, where he was partner and vice president. Harris joins the programme leadership consulting practice, focusing on construction and infrastructure projects, [...]