Slimmed down RBS?and Lloyds are attracting clever money January 4, 2010 BANKS have had a torrid time for the past year and a half. But there were signs of life yesterday, at least for some. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group had a good start to the first trading day of 2010, rising more than 9 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. [...]
Bankers grab luxury homes October 22, 2009 IN a fresh sign that bankers are feeling comfortable enough to splash the cash, enquiries for prime properties in Kensington and Chelsea have jumped in recent weeks, according to estate agents Knight Frank. Goldman Sachs was recently under the spotlight for awarding its 30,000 staff £500,000 each in bonuses, with some top traders set to [...]
THE LONDON REPORT November 9, 2009 BRITAIN’S top share index hit its highest closing level in more than two weeks yesterday as the G20’s pledge to keep stimulus in place bolstered investors’ risk appetite, with miners and oil stocks leading the charge. The FTSE 100 closed up 92.46 points, or 1.8 per cent, at 5,235.18, the highest close since 23 October, [...]
It is time for Asian economies to grow up November 24, 2009 MORE than ever, I’m convinced that a combination of the West’s ultra-loose monetary policies and Asia’s juvenile reaction to the tidal wave of cheap money this has created are fuelling a new bubble. So I was fascinated to read a series of reports yesterday arguing a very similar point. They are from HSBC’s global research [...]
British Airways and Iberia merger sends FTSE soaring November 12, 2009 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 hit its highest close in three weeks yesterday as British Airways soared with investors cheered as a merger with Iberia looked imminent, while gains were also powered by strength in banks. But the rise was limited by falls in commodity prices hitting miners and energy stocks, which together constitute a third of [...]
BARROW-BOY BROKERS CONSIDER THEIR CHANCES IN SLEEPY ZURICH December 15, 2009 EVER since inter-dealer broker Tullett Prebon revealed on Monday it would allow its staff to relocate to more favourable tax regimes if they wish to avoid the government’s crackdown, the City has been a hotbed of gossip about whether or not the move will indeed spark a much-feared exodus of talent from our shores. Inside [...]
CITY TYPES FANCY A FLUTTER ON RACE GAME December 6, 2009 AN ENTERPRISING businessman, a barrel-load of twenty quid tickets, the chance to win a lucrative prize of your dreams… sound familiar? It may well do, given ex-Nomura banker Andrew Paul’s recent venture selling tickets for the chance to win his mansion, Aston Martin and power boat, which is now going to be made into a [...]
Reassurance on UK growth boosts the blue chip index November 11, 2009 BRITAIN’S top share index closed higher yesterday, as risk appetite received a boost after reassuring signals on the UK economy, and with miners the biggest gainers after a jump in Chinese factory growth. The FTSE 100 index ended 36.20 points higher, or 0.7 per cent, at 5,266.75, having touched a high of 5,301.14 earlier in [...]
Shares rally as doubts over Middle East start to subside December 1, 2009 BRITAIN’S top shares ended 2.3 per cent higher yesterday and posted their biggest daily gain in 4-1/2 months, with banks and commodity shares rising as worries over Dubai’s debt problems faded. The FTSE 100 closed up 121.49 points at 5,312.17, its best one-day percentage gain since July 15. On Monday, the index fell 1.1 per [...]
THE LONDON REPORT November 4, 2009 LONDON’S leading shares ended 1.4 per cent higher yesterday, boosted by a rebound from miners and banks, with retailers Next and Marks & Spencer also higher after posting forecast-beating figures. At the close, the FTSE 100 was up 70.68 points at 5,107.89, recouping all of Tuesday’s losses when the index fell 1.3 per cent to [...]