Qatar eyes a Porsche stake June 8, 2009 PORSCHE is in advanced talks with the Gulf state of Qatar about selling a substantial stake which could ease the debt-laden carmaker’s problems and give it the upper hand in its ongoing negotiations with Volkswagen (VW). Wendelin Wiedeking, Porsche’s chief executive, is in negotiations which could see the Quatar Investment Authority (QIA) take a stake [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 7, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday Telegraph WIGLEY TO ADVISE ADVENTThe former chairman of Merrill Lynch’s European operations and a respected City figure, is joining the private equity firm Advent International to identify investment opportunities across the financial services industry. Wigley will become a part-time operating partner at Advent, which is sitting on a large cash-pile after raising [...]
Newcastle takeover bid attracts local attention June 7, 2009 Mike Ashley could be close to escape from his controversial spell as owner of Newcastle United after it was revealed there was “real and decent interest” in the football club from more than one Tyneside party. Sports Direct owner Ashley is desperate to sell the club, which was relegated from the Premier League last month, [...]
Brown’s grip is weakening by the hour June 4, 2009 HE may not be a household name, but James Purnell, the former secretary of state for pensions, was a key figure at the heart of Gordon Brown’s cabinet, a standard-bearer for what is left of the Blairite, reformist wing of the Labour Party. So his shock resignation at 10pm last night has dealt nothing less [...]
Ashley enlists Harris for his Geordie exit May 31, 2009 SEYMOUR Pierce yesterday confirmed it had been appointed to achieve a rapid sale of Mike Ashley’s football club Newcastle United. Keith Harris, chairman of the City broker has advised on a number of football deals, including playing a pivotal role in selling Chelsea to the Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich in 2003. If the sale of [...]
FTSE 100 stalls as traders nerves fail on banking sector May 28, 2009 RENEWED jitters over the health of the financial sector hit banks and offset gains by heavyweight oils yesterday, sending the FTSE 100 0.7 per cent, or 28.69 points, lower at 4,387.54. Banks were the worst performing large caps, with Barclays, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland down 0.8 per cent [...]
Ashley wallet suffers due to relegation May 25, 2009 SPORTS Direct owner Mike Ashley’s fortune looks set for another battering after the football club he owns, Newcastle United, was relegated from the Premier League. Ashley’s club stands to lose at least £30m a season from a drop in TV revenue which will wipe millions off the value of the struggling north east outfit, in [...]
The schoolboy bookie who turned into a spread betting evangelist May 20, 2009 JONATHAN Hufford has always had an appetite for betting, from running his school bookmaker to trading yen derivatives in the 1990s. But his biggest gamble took place 10 years ago this month when he left his job in the City to open up spread betting provider Spreadex He entered the then fledgling spread betting industry [...]
A moon buggy thats great in the country May 19, 2009 THE off-road market has come in for a lot of flak over the last few years and I’ve been a fully paid up member of the anti-league. However, my venom was more about those cars being driven in cities instead of actually doing the job they’re designed to do. I live in the country and [...]
MP expenses scandal has cut general election odds May 17, 2009 THERE is nothing like a good political scandal to get the blood flowing. Watching Question Time last week was a bit like watching Doctor Who when you were a child – best done from behind the sofa and through the fingers. Never has there been so much fury against politicians. The atmosphere is even worse [...]