Cenkos: A British banking model makes a comeback March 26, 2015 A boardroom chat between an Oxbridge-educated dealermaker who grew up on a Liverpool council estate and the former head of a scrap metal firm from Scotland is a scene only imagineable in a City of London boardroom. But the meeting between Avril Palmer-Baunack, former head of Universal Salvage, and Jim Durkin, chief executive of Cenkos [...]
RBS to sell more of Citizens Bank March 26, 2015 RBS EXPECTS to sell an extra $400m (£269m) of shares in its US bank Citizens, yesterday hiking the size of the sale on strong demand. It had planned to sell a 24.7 per cent stake, worth $3.2bn. But in fact it is selling an additional 15 per cent, taking the total sale up to 39.7 per [...]
British Gas owner Centrica warns political uncertainty could hit investment March 26, 2015 British Gas owner Centrica yesterday warned that the run-up to the 7 May election would have a knock-on effect on investment in the UK energy sector. “The UK market faces potential pressure in both the run-up to the UK General Election and in the policy decisions taken by the next government,” Centrica said in its [...]
Alps air crash and Gulf allies attack on Yemen hit FTSE hard – London Report March 26, 2015 A WARNING from the Bank of England yesterday that financial markets were becoming more volatile and faced heightened risks from a lack of liquidity pulled the FTSE 100 down sharply. The FTSE 100 index was 105 points or 1.5 per cent lower at 6,886.9, as shares in airlines and tech stocks went into the red. [...]
Markets riled after Saudi Arabia launches airstrikes in Yemen March 26, 2015 Tensions in the Middle East stirred global markets today pushing nervous investors into safe-haven assets. Investors sought safety in gold, pushing bullion prices up to a two-and-a-half week high of $1,219.40 an ounce, on news that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies had launched air strikes in the Yemen city of Aden. Meanwhile, the dollar fell [...]
Hollywood’s highest paid star Leonardo DiCaprio earns three times average FTSE 100 boss (but no one can touch Martin Sorrell) March 26, 2015 Hollywood's highest paid stars earn up to three times more than the average FTSE 100 chief executive, proving that pursuing a career in the arts isn't always financially foolhardy if you can claw your way to the top. Research from trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Hollywood's biggest stars' salaries are once again reaching [...]
RBS increases the size of its Citizens sale March 26, 2015 RBS has increased the size of the tranche of US bank Citizens Financial it's planning to sell off, as investor demand showed promising signs. That means the UK bank is likely to raise between $3.2bn (£2.1bn) and $3.7bn from the sale of 135m Citizens shares, up from the original plan to sell off 132.25m. Under [...]
Supergroup’s share price surges as new strategy includes an Idris Elba designed fashion range and 2016 dividend March 26, 2015 British fashion retailer Supergroup, the maker of Superdry clothing, is roping in potential future Bond Idris Elba to help grow its business. The star of Luther and The Wire will collaborate on designing a premium fashion range for Supergroup, the retailer has revealed, among a host of plans which sent shares surging six per cent [...]
EasyJet share price slides after narrowing first half losses March 26, 2015 The figures For the six months ended 31 March EasyJet is expecting narrow post pre-tax result of a loss of £5m to a profit of £10m. The outlook for first half capacity growth has been revised up 0.2 per cent to 3.7 per cent and revenue per seat has also been hiked by 0.5 per [...]
Tough at the top: Will the FTSE giants fall from grace? March 26, 2015 From dividend cuts, to the accounting scandals just waiting to happen, SVM’s Colin McLean talks to Annabelle Williams about the potential pitfalls facing the UK market. The last few years have been tough for the UK’s biggest companies, as FTSE giants from supermarkets and banks, to insurers and oil majors, have come under pressure. [...]