When raiders strike: Are US activist investors in City boardrooms a force for good or a costly nuisance? April 30, 2015 When US investor Nelson Peltz walks into a boardroom carrying a piece of paper you know there’s going to be trouble. Peltz, best known in the UK for bouncing Cadbury’s into a series of spin-outs and mergers, has a tried and tested tactic for effecting change: meet a chief executive, present him with a [...]
Troubled Barclays braced for famously tough incoming new chairman John McFarlane April 29, 2015 It is hard to keep a straight face when calling PPI compensation and litigation costs “one-offs” at any of the big banks nowadays. Yet seven years on from the start of the financial crisis, Barclays and the other big banks are still treating the extraordinary costs as unusual items each quarter. Yesterday Barclays [...]
Alliance Trust gets a year to show results as Elliott Advisors gives 12 months’ notice April 28, 2015 Investment firm Alliance Trust has been put on 12-months’ notice by activist investor Elliott Advisors to show results or be forced to change its strategy. In a vicious battle over the past month, both sides have been rallying support among shareholders, with Elliott pushing for three new directors to join the board, and Alliance [...]
What the General Election could mean for sterling – DailyFX Tips & Picks April 27, 2015 THERE are many ways the UK General Election could affect the financial markets. But since most FTSE 100 companies have an international exposure, most agree that the effect will primarily be felt by small cap businesses. Unless we get a Tory coalition with Ukip, that is. This could lead to an EU referendum and a [...]
City Moves for 27 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 26, 2015 Nexus Underwriting Management Group Stuart Rouse has been appointed chief operating officer and chief financial officer (CFO) at the underwriting firm. He has previously served as CFO of Fusion Insurance, CFO of Towergate Underwriting, chief operating officer of Towergate Financial, CFO of Aspen’s managing agency and its insurance division, and latterly group chief operating officer [...]
Barclays’ bosses warn investors of pain ahead as Libor scandal fines and legal bills roll in April 23, 2015 Huge fines and legal bills are on the way, Barclays’ outgoing chairman Sir David Walker warned shareholders at yesterday’s annual general meeting. Walker joined the bank almost three years ago in the wake of the Libor scandal, aiming to clean it up. While he said he has made great strides in that direction, the City [...]
City Moves for 24 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 23, 2015 Deloitte Real Estate Gerry Biddle has been appointed senior specialist business rates consultant in Deloitte’s real estate division’s valuation advisory and business rates team. He was responsible for setting up the London specialist rating unit of the Valuation Office Agency. Aviva Investors Simon Young has been appointed UK equities fund manager at Aviva’s asset management [...]
Behold the era of market meddling: Whoever wins the General Election, the age of intervention is upon us April 23, 2015 In the run up to every General Election, the business community voices its concerns over what a Labour government would mean for UK plc. There is the regular letter to The Telegraph, signed by 100 business leaders, in a show of support for the Conservatives. There is much worry, and some hysteria too. Many readers [...]
City Moves for 17 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 16, 2015 Investec Securities Paul Satchell has been appointed pan-European chemicals analyst at Investec Securities. He joins from Canaccord Genuity, where he has been an equity analyst since 2010. Satchell has almost 19 years’ experience as a sell-side analyst, and has held further equity analyst positions at ING, Merrill Lynch, Flemings and Paribas. He also has 16 [...]
Ex-Towergate boss Mark Hodges is named new British Gas manager April 14, 2015 INSURANCE veteran Mark Hodges has been appointed as managing director of British Gas, taking over from interim manager Ian Peters. In his new role, which he takes up from 1 June, Hodges will be paid a basic salary of £625,000, as well as an annual bonus of up to 100 per cent of his salary [...]