Mayor calls on business expertise December 8, 2008 London mayor Boris Johnson has recruited the help of 47 top-flight business leaders to offer him guidance and advice, it was announced yesterday. The International Business Advisory Council for London has been set up and will be chaired by Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of advertising group WPP. The council will advise the mayor on [...]
British banks given access to Vietnam September 10, 2008 HSBC and Standard Chartered have become the first foreign banks to be given permission to set up wholly owned subsidiaries in Communist Vietnam, the country’s state bank said yesterday. The two companies will be allowed to operate as commercial banks for a period of 99 years, according to a statement from the State Bank of [...]
Tokyo Mitsubishi is in the frame for a stake in Lehman as suitors drop out September 4, 2008 The saga over bids for a stake in Lehman Brothers assets entered a new chapter yesterday, as another potential suitor entered the fray and several parties rumoured to be interested dropped out. Reports from Japan suggested that the country’s banking powerhouse, Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ, was monitoring the situation closely, with a view to making a [...]
Rights issue to fall flat at troubled B&B August 15, 2008 Bradford & Bingley’s attempt to raise cash could see a take up as low as 8 per cent Bradford and Bingley faces a meagre take-up of its rights issue when it closes at 11am today, with shareholder support expected to be minimal. Shares in the troubled mortgage lender have skirted the 55p issue price for [...]
Soc Gen shares rise despite profit drop August 6, 2008 French bank Société Générale yesterday reported a 63 per cent fall in second-quarter profits, but its shares rallied, as figures were better than analysts had expected. The Paris-based bank, which is still coming to terms with the rogue trading scandal that caused a €4.9bn loss, saw net profits fall to €664m (£525m) from €1.74bn last [...]
HSBC profits hit as bad debt surges August 5, 2008 Europe’s largest bank announces a 28 per cent drop in earnings as crunch bites HSBC chairman Stephen Green insisted yesterday that his bank’s performance was “resilient”, despite a 28 per cent fall in profits and a surge in bad debt charges to more than $10bn (£5bn). Interim pre-tax profits at Europe’s largest bank fell from [...]
Banking tragedy fails to lift market players August 4, 2008 You could say the UK banks reporting season is turning into a comedy of errors but perhaps a Shakespearean tragedy would be more apt. It was an awful first act for the sector last week but the drama will reach its crescendo this week as we await downbeat numbers from HSBC, Barclays and RBS. The [...]
Banks set for worst results in City history August 4, 2008 Markets brace for a raft of bad news from HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and others HSBC will today kick off another disappointing week of banking results as the credit crunch continues to wreak havoc in the City. HSBC is forecast to reveal $2bn-$3bn (£1bn-£1.5bn) of credit market provisions in its global markets business. Europe’s [...]
Banking stocks are rock bottom, which could mean it’s time to buy July 18, 2008 Financials are at bargain basement prices and it could be time to get involved, reports Esther Shaw Northern Rock has been one of the most spectacular victims of the credit crisis, but much of the banking sector has experienced some stormy weather over the last year. Even large institutions like Barclays and Royal Bank of [...]
City workers get creative with life drawing twenty-seven storeys up July 14, 2008 Timothy Barber joins Citigroup employees indulging their artistic sides It’s easy to forget the noise and melee of Canary Wharf’s evening rush hour when you’re standing in the light filled open space of the 27th floor of Citgroup’s headquarters. Down below, thousands of tired workers are flooding from their offices into the tube and DLR [...]