Independence referendum debate: What to watch out for August 25, 2014 As Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling prepare to face-off for the last time on whether Scotland should withdraw from the 300-year-old union both sides will be readying their arsenal of facts and figures to make their case. There are a host of issues that will come up in tonight's debate, but three have become central [...]
Incoming Barclays chairman John McFarlane to face “very challenging requirements” September 12, 2014 Aviva chairman John McFarlane will face "very challenging requirements" in his new role as chairman of Barclays, said the man who recruited him today. McFarlane, who is one of Scotland's most senior businessmen, will pick up the reins at Barclays' next AGM next April when incumbent Sir David Walker steps down. He is [...]
Posen: “Joseph Stiglitz is wrong – the reality of Scottish independence is frightening” September 18, 2014 Following pro-independence assertions by economist Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, saying the debate around Scottish independence had been "fear mongering", and that currency was a "non-issue", last night Adam Posen, the former Monetary Policy Committee member who now heads up the Peterson Institute for International Economics, published an article criticising his view. Cracking out the [...]
City Moves for 28 March 2014 | Who’s switching jobs March 28, 2014 Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management The wealth management firm has announced the appointment of David Esfandi as chief executive for the UK. He was most recently at Ashcourt Rowan, where he was a senior leader in its asset management division. AllianceBernstein The investment management firm has appointed Mike Fullalove as product development manager for Europe, the [...]
Nervous investors quit Scots stocks on vote fears September 8, 2014 SCOTTISH shares led the UK markets down yesterday as investors responded to the real possibility Scotland could vote to leave the union in next week’s referendum. Sterling slumped again, as a TNS poll put the independence and unionist camps neck and neck. The FTSE100 slid 0.3 per cent yesterday. Scottish-based banks RBS and Lloyds led the slide, down 1.3 [...]
City traders on 24-hour alert over sterling September 18, 2014 TEAMS of staff at the Treasury, Bank of England, as well as sterling traders across a number of London-based banks were drafted in last night to staff 24-hour desks monitoring the fallout from the Scottish referendum. BNP Paribas, Barclays and Rabobank were among the institutions who staffed currency desks through the night so that their [...]
Alex Salmond: “There is literally nothing anyone can do” to stop independent Scotland keeping the pound. But should it? August 11, 2014 Alex Salmond is refusing to wilt after the pasting he received at the hands of Alistair Darling. The Scottish first minister was widely judged to have lost his debate with the former Labour chancellor, and was booed by sections of the audience for failing to outline a plan B should Scotland be unable to retain the pound. [...]
Radical uncertainty: Why the Scots could ignore business and follow the crowd September 16, 2014 AFTER months of Trappist silence, a plethora of large companies has pronounced on the adverse consequences for Scotland of a Yes vote tomorrow. The sectors span the economy – from oil to banks, from supermarkets to phone companies. But what will the effect of these interventions be? From the perspective of a rational economic person, [...]
The year at City A.M.: Our most popular stories of 2014 December 31, 2014 With everything that has gone on in the last 12 months you might be forgiven the odd memory lapse. Here's our round-up of the stories that got you clicking in 2014. January It's hard to believe it was less than a year ago that French President Hollande was caught having a moped-based affair with actress [...]
Better Together finally gets it: An appeal to reason isn’t enough to save the Union September 9, 2014 FINANCIAL markets seem to be doing a better job of making the case against Scottish independence than our politicians. Since polls were published showing the Yes campaign in the ascendancy, the slide in sterling has given everyone food for thought – and not just in Scotland. My email has fired up with colleagues in New [...]