China’s PBC builds stake in Prudential August 26, 2008 Prudential has poured cold water on suggestions that it should spin off its Asian arm into a separate company, as it emerged that the People’s Bank of China has built up a one per cent stake in the UK’s second-largest insurer. Chief executive Mark Tucker has fought an ongoing battle on two fronts to convince [...]
Lonmin boss sells shares August 26, 2008 Lonmin chairman’s vigorous opposition to a £33-a-share takeover approach from mining group Xstrata is likely to be overshadowed by revelations that he sold his personal shares in the company for only £1 more than Xstrata’s offer. Earlier this month John Craven, who has been chairman of Lonmin since 1997, defined Xstrata’s proposal as “opportunistic” and [...]
UBS to slash pay and bonuses August 26, 2008 Beleaguered bank UBS last night admitted it was planning on slashing its salary and bonus budget by billions of dollars, as it struggles to cope with the effects of the credit crunch. But a spokesman said that reports in Swiss newspaper Sonntag claiming that the payroll budget would be cut by $4bn were exaggerated, pointing [...]
Fresh call for BE deal August 26, 2008 Invesco, the largest single shareholder in British Energy, is meeting today with government representatives to push for a merger between the UK’s nuclear group and gas supplier Centrica. Invesco’s head of investment Neil Woodford will lay out his plans to the Shareholder Executive, the body that manages government financial interest in public companies. Last week [...]
Fresh blow for Lehman after Korean investor warned off August 26, 2008 Lehman Brothers, the investment bank beset by worries over asset sales and the future of boss Richard Fuld Jr, was dealt another blow yesterday after potential investor Korea Development Bank (KDB) was warned off an approach. South Korea’s top financial regulator Jun Kwang-woo, warned KDB that it should take a “cautious approach”, after the state-run [...]
Falling rents delay plans at Cheesegrater August 15, 2008 Analysts yesterday said they were not surprised by British Land’s decision to postpone the development of its flagship City skyscraper, the “Cheesegrater”. The developer, which saw the value of its portfolio slide by 5 per cent to £6.3bn in the three months to June, said it now expects the 225 metre tower in the heart [...]
Rights issue to fall flat at troubled B&B August 15, 2008 Bradford & Bingley’s attempt to raise cash could see a take up as low as 8 per cent Bradford and Bingley faces a meagre take-up of its rights issue when it closes at 11am today, with shareholder support expected to be minimal. Shares in the troubled mortgage lender have skirted the 55p issue price for [...]
Lonmin snubs Xstrata’s takeover bid August 14, 2008 British platinum miner Lonmin yesterday reiterated its opposition to Xstrata’s hostile £5bn takeover bid, saying it failed to recognise the company’s potential for growth. The South Africa-focused company, which last week received an indicative offer from the Anglo-Swiss mining group, told its shareholders to reject a formal offer, as it undervalued the firm’s business. With [...]
Pressure piles on EDF to hike offer for BE August 14, 2008 Sources close to British Energy said yesterday rival French firm EDF would have to raise its offer for the electricity giant to above 800p per share, if it is to have any hope of buying the group. Earlier this month shareholders of British Energy, which holds the key to Britain’s next generation of nuclear power [...]
Britannia hit by bad debts on mortgages August 14, 2008 Mutual building society Britannia yesterday posted a 40 per cent drop in interim profits, after the cost of bad debts hammered its mortgage book. Britannia said the percentage of its home loans that were three or more months in arrears rose by just over 1.7 per cent in the first six months of the year [...]