Post strikes will do most damage to Royal Mail October 18, 2009 IF THIS week’s postal strike goes ahead from Thursday, as expected, the Square Mile will not come to a grinding halt. The rise of the internet, email and electronic trading platforms mean that the Royal Mail’s integral role of facilitating business between City firms are long gone. I suspect that more damage will be caused [...]
Why next year will be critical for London’s army of M&A dealmakers October 18, 2009 WHEN Tim Jones, the London managing partner of global law giant Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, walks into a room, one is immediately struck by the fact that he still looks every inch the Wales B rugby prop forward he used be. However, as he settles down in one of his firm’s sixth-floor, oak-panelled meeting room, he [...]
WHERE WILL XSTRATA LOOK FOR DEALS NOW THE ANGLO MERGER IS OFF? October 15, 2009 RICHARD CURR PRIME CFDSXstrata can find better deals than Anglo, so it’s no surprise it has walked away. The Anglo that Xstrata was looking at a year ago looks somewhat different. We suspect Xstrata might go for some low hanging fruit, as in Lonmin or First Quantum, but we wouldn’t rule out another approach for [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS October 14, 2009 Ambrian PartnersThe stockbroking firm has appointed Philip Dorgan, one of the most respected retail analysts in the market, to its research team. Dorgan has been a retail analyst at rival broker Panmure Gordon for the past 13 years, latterly as head of research. He was also head of European retail at Goldman Sachs between 1988 [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 13, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES RBS EYES SELL-OFF OF 300 BRANCHESRoyal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is exploring a government-backed plan to give up all its 312 RBS-branded branches in England and Wales, in a radical move to satisfy Brussels state-aid authorities that could boost business banking competition on the high street. Officials close to the negotiations say the [...]
Tullett set to square up to BGC in court October 11, 2009 TULLETT Prebon and BGC Partners will this week commence battle in the High Court, as the City hangs attentively on every word to glean sensational details about the aggressive high-octane world of inter-dealer broking. Tullett, led by City veteran Terry Smith, alleges that BGC tried to poach at least 55 of its top broking staff [...]
Small investors to launch RBS claim October 11, 2009 A GROUP of small shareholders is planning to sue Royal Bank of Scotland, claiming it misled investors in its May 2008 prospectus for a rights issue to pay for its acquisition of Dutch bank ABN AMRO. The Royal Bank of Scotland Shareholders’ Action Group said yesterday it had hired forensic accountant Paul Klumpes and was [...]
Top lady shot takes the helm at a new City member’s club October 11, 2009 CLAIRE Zambuni could be dangerous. A leggy blonde with Baywatch-style features and a big smile, I’d not be surprised to hear that men routinely fall at her feet. But its her way with a gun that makes her particularly worth buttering up – she’s the UK’s best lady shot, in the top three best shots [...]
WINTER OF DISCONTENT October 8, 2009 BRITAIN is facing a “winter of discontent” with strikes looming at Royal Mail, British Airways, Irish carrier Aer Lingus, and electronics giant Fujitsu. Staff at Royal Mail yesterday voted three to one in favour of a national strike, which is set to bring misery to businesses over the Christmas period, while costing London hundreds of [...]
British Land executives to set up firm October 8, 2009 PROPERTY group British Land is set for a boardroom shake-up after it emerged that its star director Andrew Jones was quitting the group, taking two committee members with him to set up a rival firm. Jones, 40, had already confirmed he was considering leaving but his decision to bring on board colleagues Valentine Beresford and [...]