EX-FAIRFAX CHIEFTAIN MAKES HIS COMEBACK February 14, 2010 MEMBERS of the City’s investment banking community have probably been wondering for months what has become of Adam Hart, the cheery former managing director of Fairfax. Hart left Fairfax last summer and hasn’t been heard from since, apart from a stubborn rumour doing the rounds in the autumn that he was about to join Edward [...]
Time for City to dig in and prepare for 2010 battles December 17, 2009 AS the year draws to a close thoughts are inevitably turning to the City’s prospects in 2010, a year which will feature economic uncertainty, new legislation and taxes and a general election which could return the nightmare scenario of a hung parliament. For the Square Mile the key battle lines are being drawn as the [...]
City rents up for first time since 2007 January 10, 2010 CITY office rents rose for the first time in three years at the end of 2009, boosting confidence that office rents have bottomed out. A report from Cushman & Wakefield reveals 41 per cent of the year’s total take-up of office space took place in the last quarter of 2009. The take-up of 2.6m sq [...]
Business as usual in City as Britain grinds to halt January 6, 2010 FREEZING weather, heavy snow and iced-up roads may have given many Londoners the perfect excuse to avoid work yesterday but thankfully the City of London continued to function as normal with the minimum of disruptions. Insurer RSA yesterday estimated that a single day of severe weather could cost the London economy more than £145m as [...]
Bankers must highlight skills to rebuild trust January 17, 2010 When people talk about the UK financial services industry they inevitably associate it with the Square Mile. But in fact the industry is spread across the entire country. As Lord Mayor, I take an active role in highlighting the sector’s vital contribution to the broader economy both in London and beyond. My visit to Manchester [...]
CITY BIDS FAREWELL TO ANCIENT BROKER March 17, 2010 AFTER over 200 years providing services to the City of London, it was a sad farewell yesterday to the oldest stockbroking name in the Square Mile. The origins of Hichens Harrison can be traced back to at least 1803, when it was in business shortly following the formation of the Stock Exchange, though the exact [...]
CADBURY’S CARR REFUSES TO COSY UP TO KRAFT PREDATOR ROSENFELD February 4, 2010 IRENE Rosenfeld hasn’t exactly offered herself readily to the cameras during her ultimately successful five-month pursuit of chocolatier Cadbury, though The Capitalist hears there was at least one photograph of herself that the Kraft boss would have liked as a memento to her victory. As the two companies’ representatives filed out of the offices of [...]
What the City wants from a new government January 12, 2010 THIS afternoon, I will be setting out the City of London’s vision for 2010 at an event at the London Chamber of Commerce discussing what a Conservative government could mean for the Square Mile. The City’s agenda is in no way contingent on the political orientation of the incoming government – our message will remain [...]
DOT COM SURVIVOR TURNS HAND TO HOLLYWOOD SCREENWRITING December 3, 2009 IN the wake of the credit crunch, the dotcom crash of 2001 feels like a small murmur in the history of the City. But ever wondered what happened to those guys who brought open-necked shirts, scooters and start-ups to the Square Mile? Well, one of those who rode the dotcom rollercoaster is now about to [...]
Balanced debate is needed on future of banking January 10, 2010 As people from across the City brave the wintry conditions let us hope that policy makers can help provide a brighter forecast for the financial services industry over the coming year. The past 12 months have seen the business environment in a state of almost constant flux. A series of measures – most notably the [...]