Pru’s M&G in sales boom on bond bonanza May 14, 2009 A MASSIVE increase in demand for corporate bonds has allowed M&G, the asset management arm of insurance group Prudential, to notch up record levels of investment into its fund range. Prudential’s results for the first quarter showed M&G saw gross fund inflows of £4.4bn thanks mostly to a tide of investment away from current accounts, [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 19, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESUS HOUSING OPTIMISM PREMATUREGrowing optimism over the US housing market may be premature, a leading retailer warned yesterday. Frank Blake, chief executive of Home Depot, said housing market signals were still mixed. “We are concerned about the accelerating rates of foreclosures, particularly in the western part of the country,” he said, noting that one [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 19, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESUS HOUSING OPTIMISM PREMATUREGrowing optimism over the US housing market may be premature, a leading retailer warned yesterday. Frank Blake, chief executive of Home Depot, said housing market signals were still mixed. “We are concerned about the accelerating rates of foreclosures, particularly in the western part of the country,” he said, noting that one [...]
GERMAN DATA PUTS EURO ON THE BACK FOOT May 31, 2009 THIS week brings policy meetings from the Bank of England, the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Bank of Canada and the European Central Bank. While the market is not expecting a change in policy from any of these central banks, the rhetoric will be closely monitored for any signs of cautious optimism. The ECB’s policy [...]
Daredevil for a day June 8, 2009 ANYONE who has marvelled at the aerial spectacle of the Red Bull Air Race must surely have wondered what it is like to hurtle along in a small aircraft at high speed just feet above the ground. The airborne equivalent of Formula One, the event has attracted millions of spectators around the world. But while [...]
How the King of the UK back office plans to keep his business growing June 21, 2009 IT is fascinating to listen to David Andrews talk about his business. For most of us, back offices may seem deadly boring – but when you discover Andrew’s passion for Xchanging, the FTSE 250 back office outsourcing giant he founded 10 years ago, you suddenly realise just how true it is that finance and corporate [...]
You’re never Gunner derail United’s title bid May 14, 2009 MANCHESTER UNITED VS ARSENALAFTER a few worries in March, Manchester United are cantering towards an incredible 11th Premier League title and it looks like Sir Alex Ferguson will be lifting the trophy in front of his oldest adversary, Arsene Wenger. The win against Wigan on Wednesday night means that United now only require one point from [...]
Computacenter falls after tough conditions in UK August 29, 2008 IT services firm Computacenter yesterday cited poor performance in the UK as the reason for a 14.2 per cent dip in profits, hammering its shares which plunged by almost 13 per cent in early trading. A lacklustre set of numbers across the channel in France also hurt the firm, it said, reporting profit before tax [...]
England to be low scorers against Andorra September 5, 2008 England are a best priced 1/50 with Ladbrokes to see off a side ranked 186th in the FIFA World rankings. Incidentally, the “hosts” can be backed at a massive 80/1 with Boylesports to win the game and the draw is a top priced 30/1 with Betdaq. Andorra have avoided defeat in only three of their [...]
KPMG set to run Caliber liquidation September 2, 2008 Caliber Global Investment, the LSE listed mortgage-bond fund run by the hedge fund group Cambridge Place Investment Management, is seeking shareholder approval to appoint KPMG, the accountancy firm, to oversee its liquidation. Caliber is unwinding holdings of US and European mortgage-backed debt, which totalled $908m in March 2007, after taking losses on subprime mortgages. The [...]