City Moves for 13 July 2016 | Who’s switching jobs July 13, 2016 Deloitte Deloitte has appointed Stephen Rees as a real estate senior advisor in its private client and family office group. Stephen will support family offices wishing to access UK commercial real estate, and provide a strategic and execution role as families continue to seek alternative investment opportunities in the UK. Stephen started his career at JLL, where [...]
Driverless car buyers may need new insurance covering cyber-attacks, and even ransom, a new report has warned July 10, 2016 Driverless car users may need to find cover against a raft of new dangers, including ransom payments demanded by hackers. A new paper from motor insurer Axa has warned that the rise of autonomous vehicles could lead to cars being hacked to conduct criminal activity, or even to be used a weapon. Alternatively, drivers could [...]
Axa says so long to Serbia with sale to Vienna Insurance Group July 7, 2016 Axa will be saying farewell to Serbia shortly, after the insurer announced today that it had agreed to sell its operations in the country. The Paris-headquartered company said in a statement that it had entered an agreement to sell both its life and savings and its property and casualty operations in Serbia to Vienna Insurance Group (VIG). The move [...]
City Moves for 5 July 2016 | Who’s switching jobs July 5, 2016 Bond Dickinson National law firm Bond Dickinson has appointed Charlie Reid as its new banking and finance partner in its London office. He joins the firm from Norton Rose Fulbright where he was a senior associate. Charlie gained experience in the London office of Morrison & Foerster developing its London banking practice for eight years. Prior to joining Morrison & [...]
Tobacco companies remain an addiction for stock market investors – and Brexit gave them a boost too June 29, 2016 Cigarette companies have been under the cosh for years as Western governments try to stamp out addiction to cancer sticks. But the anti-smoking lobby has failed on one count – to sufficiently dent the fortunes of tobacco companies on the stock market. Despite the battering the UK stock market has taken since Friday’s Brexit announcement, shares [...]
What will happen to UK equities if we leave the European Union? June 21, 2016 The pound and the FTSE soared yesterday, as the Remain camp wrestled back its lead in the polls. But the outcome of Thursday’s EU referendum is far from clear, with pundits saying that voter turnout will be pivotal in determining whether the UK stays or leaves. If Article 50 is triggered and sterling dives, what should [...]
What will central banks do next? Prepare for more unconventional monetary policy, experts warn June 14, 2016 Eight years since the global financial crisis, and central banks are still experimenting with ever-more unusual ways to fire up their economies. “We have had QE money printing, QE involving corporate bonds, very cheap loans to banks, and in the US they have been buying up troubled assets,” explains Jim Leaviss of M&G Investments. But despite [...]
Bilderberg meets today: Here’s the full guestlist June 9, 2016 It may not be quite the shady organisation of conspiracy theorists' fevered imaginations – but the traditionally secretive Bilderberg conference nevertheless courts a certain amount of intrigue. This year, presumably in an effort to increase transparency, the conference's organisers have published a list of everyone attending (lizard people notwithstanding). The list, according to Bilderberg, is about [...]
Axa to sell Sun Life to Phoenix on €400m loss May 27, 2016 UK insurer Phoenix is to buy Axa Wealth's pension and protection business Sun Life in a deal worth £375m – less than the £500m figure that had been touted previously. Axa said the deal, which is expected to complete in the second half of this year, would generate a loss of €400m. It is part of [...]
Axa unveils shake up of top team ahead of chief exec’s start May 27, 2016 Axa has revealed a major shake up of its senior team – including a new chief executive of its UK business – ahead of the arrival of incoming boss Thomas Buberl later this year. From 1 July the group will boast a new management committee that will "reinforce the role of large countries and global [...]