There must be no second thoughts on Crossrail May 17, 2009 TODAY marks a seminal point for the City as the House of Lords discusses the Business Rate Supplements Bill. A bill affecting payments from businesses will clearly always be of huge relevance to the prospects for City firms but this is doubly important because it will determine the future of the Crossrail project. The bill provides the [...]
There must be no second thoughts on Crossrail May 17, 2009 TODAY marks a seminal point for the City as the House of Lords discusses the Business Rate Supplements Bill. A bill affecting payments from businesses will clearly always be of huge relevance to the prospects for City firms but this is doubly important because it will determine the future of the Crossrail project. The bill provides the [...]
How comics can teach you to be a better communicator May 13, 2009 WHAT’S the difference between a pizza and a banker? Now, you might say that now is not the time for joking in the City, and indeed some might argue that the Square Mile already has more than its fair share of comedians. But I say that there are not enough. One of the keys for [...]
The places in town not to be seen May 13, 2009 ARE you happy in your job? Of course you are. You are hardworking and – most importantly – loyal. But imagine if somebody did come along and try to headhunt you. You would be stupid not to agree to a meeting, just to have a chat and see how the land lies. A little bit [...]
Plunge into a dark pool in the new era of trading platforms August 26, 2008 Project Turquoise is here, and promises to shake up the world of trading. But what does it mean for you?, asks Katie Hope Within two weeks, Project Turquoise will launch in full. The hotly awaited new trading platform set up by a consortium of nine investment banks, started quietly almost two weeks ago trading just [...]
Suite returns: why it’s a good time to check yourself into the hotel industry August 14, 2008 Hotel rooms are one area of property investing that are bucking the credit crunch, writes Timothy Barber If we’re thinking positive, the slowing economy presents an opportunity to get a bit creative with investments. The alternative asset market has become more and more prominent in 2008 as investors look for areas offering stable returns in [...]
Nomura in bid talks with Collins Stewart August 8, 2008 Cash-rich Japanese bank Nomura is believed to be in talks with small cap stockbroker Collins Stewart, while Australian bank Macquarie and Israeli multi-national Delek Capital, a subsidiary of Israeli conglomerate Delek, are also understood to have shown an interest in acquiring the broker. Collins Stewart said on Wednesday that it had received a preliminary approach, [...]
Bid looms for Terry Smith’s London bank August 7, 2008 Stockbroker Collins Stewart gets a £250m takeover approach from mystery bidder Small cap stockbroker Collins Stewart, founded by City veteran Terry Smith, has received a preliminary takeover approach from a mystery bidder thought to be at between 110p-115p a share. Shares in Collins Stewart, which have lost nearly half their value in the last six [...]
Budget airlines have become a part of modern life, for better or worse August 1, 2008 Rising oil prices mean that cheap flights are under threat. But is that a good or a bad thing? Such arcane things as the price of oil were until recently beyond the ken of most ordinary folk. But the workings of massive Kazakh exploration companies and the politics of laying pipelines across Uzbekistan are now [...]
Hg Capital considers bid for magazine publisher July 28, 2008 Wilmington Group, publisher of the journalists’ magazine Press Gazette as well as many other business titles, will today confirm that it is in preliminary talks with Hg Capital about a possible takeover by the private equity firm. While informal talks have been held with Hg Capital, it is understood that a formal offer would be [...]