French private equity firm Ardian raises €1.1bn for co-investment fund November 18, 2015 French private equity firm Ardian has completed a €1.1bn (£769m) fundraising for its fourth co-investment fund. The fund's strategy is to co-invest a minority stake in larger private equity transactions, with two pools, so investors can choose their exposure to the US and European markets. Ardian, which until 2013 was AXA Private Equity and is [...]
London’s newest skyscraper – Pinnacle replacement 22 Bishopsgate – given go-ahead by City of London planners November 17, 2015 London's saddest skyscraper may yet be set for a happy ending, after a City of London planning committee gave it the thumbs up. The building formerly known as the Pinnacle – aka the "Helter Skelter", thanks to its complex, curly design – has stood half-built since 2008, after the sheer cost of the project brought it [...]
City Moves for 10 November 2015 | Who’s switching jobs November 9, 2015 BNP PARIBAS INVESTMENT PARTNERS The asset management division of BNP Paribas has announced the appointment of Laurent Gueunier as head of alternative debt management. He joins from Axa Investment Managers, where he was head of structured finance. Gueunier has also worked within structured credit at JP Morgan and began his career within commodities trading at [...]
Aldi, Google and Lidl top Global Brand Simplicity Index: These are the best brands for getting their message across November 9, 2015 Aldi and Lidl are shaking up the supermarket sector in more than one way. Not only are they undercutting the competition and forcing the Big Four into a Mexican stand-off over prices, the German grocers are also showing them how it's done when it comes to getting their message across. Aldi has topped the sixth annual Global [...]
City Moves for 09 November 2015 | Who’s switching jobs November 8, 2015 RSM The audit, tax, and consulting services firm has announced the appointments of Pelle Langli and Mark Wootton (pictured) as partners in its consulting practice. Langli joins from EC Partners. He has more than 15 years' experience in consulting, and will focus on building RSM's finance function advisory service line. Wootton joins from KM&T UK, [...]
City Moves for 30 October 2015 | Who’s switching jobs October 29, 2015 MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP The bank has announced two appointments to its corporate banking team in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ian Wootton joins as managing director, healthcare. For the last year, he was an independent adviser for Park Road Advisory and was also formerly a partner at PwC. Richard Price (pictured) joins as [...]
Hidden gems: The little known investment funds which experts tip for great things October 28, 2015 Every saver wants the best investment funds in their portfolio. The trouble is, once a fund has become well-known after a good spell of performance, it is statistically more likely to underperform. Investing in the funds at the top of their sector rankings is not always the best idea – some experts describe this [...]
After UK economic growth slowed to 0.5 per cent in the third quarter, should we be worried? October 27, 2015 Tim Price, manager of the VT Price Value Portfolio, says Yes Not only is growth slowing, but a growing number of companies in the Anglo Saxon economies are issuing profits warnings. Recent “victims” include Adobe, Pearson, Caterpillar, William Hill, and the retailers Walmart and Home Retail Group. The list of casualties is broad and varied [...]
Rise in new business and pensions for AXA Wealth October 27, 2015 AXA Wealth announced its third-quarter results yesterday, revealing that new business had shot up by 43 per cent to £578m during its third quarter. Pensions and funds under management for the pensions and investments company also grew by 14 per cent to £30.4bn. Results were also positive for Architas, AXA Wealth’s multi-manager arm, [...]
Axa Wealth reveals new business jumped by 43 per cent in the third quarter October 27, 2015 Axa Wealth announced its third-quarter results today, revealing that new business had shot up 43 per cent to £578m. Pensions and funds under management for the pensions and investments company also grew by 14 per cent to £30.4bn. Results were also positive for Architas, Axa Wealth’s multi-manager arm, which reported an increase in assets of [...]