Italy auction calms bond market fears April 29, 2010 ITALY yesterday went some way towards soothing concerns over contagion of Greece’s debt woes, successfully completing a key auction of two of its bonds. The auctions of €6.5bn (£5.64bn) of Italian three-year and ten-year notes were both covered about 1.5 times, signalling strong investor demand for the debt despite the escalating crisis in Greece and [...]
Darling rules out a giveaway budget but tax rises not expected March 11, 2010 Alistair Darling says his budget on 24 March will not be a “giveaway.” He said the budget, Labour’s last chance to set out its plans for the economic recovery, before an expected 6 May election, will be “a budget for the times in which we live.” He said: “I don’t think anyone’s expecting some sort [...]
UniCredit stalls on state aid as profits improve August 4, 2009 ITALIAN bank UniCredit said it would decide in September whether to go ahead with Italian state aid after reporting better-than-expected second-quarter net income on improved trading profit. Chief executive Alessandro Profumo said the bank was in talks with Italy over hybrid bonds to bolster its capital ratios and assure lending to smaller companies. UniCredit has [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 11, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES PUSH FOR CLEARING HOUSES FAILS TO MOVE OIL TRADERS Big oil traders are choosing to keep more derivatives deals private, in spite of a global regulatory campaign to steer such contracts to clearing houses. Their willingness to take on risks viewed as intolerable just a year ago reflects renewed faith in the strength [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS January 10, 2010 Office of Fair Trading The consumer watchdog has appointed Sheldon Mills, a senior associate at law firm SJ Berwin, as its new director of mergers, effective from 15 February. Mills joined SJ Berwin in 2006 from rival Jones Day. Simon Holmes, head of EU and competition at SJ Berwin, said: “While we will miss him, [...]
Lufthansa to scrap payout as profits slip March 2, 2010 LUFTHANSA posted a 2009 operating profit that was better than expected yesterday after the German flagship carrier started slashing costs to become more lean and compete with low-cost carriers and Asian rivals. Its operating profit dropped to €130m (£118.1m) in 2009 from €1.3bn a year earlier – beating the €31m analysts had forecast – Lufthansa [...]
D-DAY LOOMS FOR CADBURY PHONEY WAR January 10, 2010 Cadbury shares are set to jump this morning after mounting talk last night that Ferrero could make a joint bid with Hershey for the British confectionery group. Ferrero is thought to be working on a syndicated loan of about €3bn (£2.8bn). According to an Italian newspaper, Mediobanca, which advises the Italian chocolate maker, has contacted [...]
World leaders: economy is not out of the woods January 28, 2010 Top policymakers yesterday warned the world economy is not out of the woods and a global recovery is still far from secure, urging caution as central banks work on withdrawing critical support. China’s Vice Premier Li Keqiang, the man tipped to become the country’s next premier, said there were still “twists and turns” ahead as [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 29, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphRATE HIKE THREATENS EXISTENCE OF RURAL PETROL STATIONSHundreds of rural petrol stations face closure if an “outrageous” increase in business rates is pushed through next April, forecourt owners have warned. Owners of the UK’s 6,000 independent petrol stations will this week launch a major MP-backed campaign to urge a government body to [...]
SocGen ready to repay aid October 6, 2009 SOCIETE Générale launched a €4.8bn rights issue yesterday as it seeks to repay €3.4bn (£3.1bn) worth of state aid and build a war chest for possible acquisitions. The bank joined French rival BNP Paribas in seeking to exit government support, saying that the cash call would allow it to pursue “external growth opportunities”. However, SocGen [...]