American Apparel in audit spat August 17, 2010 Retail group American Apparel said yesterday its operating losses may result in its breach of its debt covenant, and that it has received a subpoena from the US attorney’s office over changing accounting firms. Shares dropped by more than 25 per cent following the announcement, which revealed that previous auditor Deloitte told the firm its [...]
BETFAIR FOUNDER MULLS PUTTING HIS WINDFALL MILLIONS TO STUD September 21, 2010 NEWS that Betfair’s founders Ed Wray and Andrew Black are set to net a potential windfall of £17m apiece from cashing in a tenth of their combined 22.5 per cent stake at the company’s IPO got The Capitalist to thinking yesterday – how might they put that money to good use? In Black’s case, at [...]
Corporate spending set to rescue UK October 17, 2010 THANK goodness for the private sector. With the exception of parts of the property investment industry, it is now in reasonably good shape. Contrary to what many believe, this means that Wednesday’s Comprehensive Spending Review – and the all too necessary spending cuts it will detail – won’t derail the UK economy. Sure, a chunk [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 1, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES LEASE FEARS FOR OFFSHORE WIND FARMS Wind farm operators building offshore risk having their leases terminated without compensation if oil and gas companies decide they need the seabed plot for exploration, drilling or pipelines. Industry executives are warning that the lease terms, issued by the Queen’s Crown Estate, could threaten the funding of [...]
Retail sales hit by tax and inflation October 21, 2010 THERE is a simple reason why retail sales are beginning to fall, and it has very little to do with the Comprehensive Spending review. A triple whammy of limited pay rises, elevated inflation and tax increases have conspired to impoverish most of the public over the past year, a development that has been barely picked [...]
INSIDE THE MISCHIEVOUS MIND OF A FIXED INCOME BONDS ANALYST October 10, 2010 EVER wondered about the fantasies of a bonds analyst? Well, no, we can’t say we did either, until Evolution Securities’ Gary Jenkins decided to bare all in his column for Credit Matters. Fresh from his promotion to head of fixed income, Jenkins’ megalomaniacal ambitions know no limit: he imagines himself in a new role as [...]
IRISH BOW OUT OF POWERSCOURT BASH AS DUBLIN FENDS OFF EU AID November 16, 2010 CITY comunications advisory Powerscourt last night held its annual bash in Paramount, the 31st-floor bar of Centrepoint, but there were a few old favourites missing from the crowd. CEO Rory Godson, originally from Ireland, said he could only pass on his apologies from his Irish chums: “Our friends in Dublin have stayed at home to [...]
For accountants, qualifications are a matter of taste September 22, 2010 WHEN they get their first job, many accountants worry that they will be pigeon-holed by their qualification. ACA is seen as the City gold standard in some quarters, and those who aren’t offered it might worry that their ambition of becoming a FTSE 100 CEO will be thwarted. On the other hand, ACCA is a [...]
UK oil firms expand after consolidation August 8, 2010 BRITISH oil firms are stepping up expansion and investment after a year of consolidation, says research out today. Companies are making the most of relatively high and stable oil prices to fast track development, according to Deloitte’s biannual rankings of oil producers. Tullow Oil, the largest oil firm to trade exclusively in the UK with [...]
Lenders sell off Connaught loans August 4, 2010 Lenders to troubled housing maintenance firm Connaught have begun to sell off their loans to private equity firms. Barclays has already disposed of its exposure, while other non-primary lenders Bank of Ireland and Lloyds are understood to have made moves to sell out. “It’s just a sensible move to get rid of such risky assets,” [...]