BBA CONFERENCE | HIGHLIGHTS June 29, 2011 The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) annual conference took place at the Guildhall yesterday. Here are some of the highlights: • BBA chief executive Angela Knight (pictured, bottom right) said that some of the many regulations being introduced “simply don’t work right, don’t fit together, are not coherent”, such as the requirement to hold more capital [...]
Fear returns to markets July 25, 2011 CONFIDENCE in politicians’ ability to solve the debt crises of the developed world collapsed yesterday, sending bank shares into a tailspin and ramping up the cost of sovereign borrowing. As US politicians bickered over the debt ceiling and investors fled EU financial stocks, Italy was forced to cancel a bond auction set for August on [...]
Allen & Overy posts rises in its profits and revenues July 6, 2011 ALLEN & Overy was the latest magic circle law firm to release its financial results yesterday, posting a seven per cent rise in revenues alongside a six per cent hike in profits. Turnover at the firm, which has 487 equity partners across 37 offices, rose to £1.12bn in the year to 30 April, climbing from £1.05bn [...]
BUY May 19, 2011 MANAGING PARTNER OF BLACK BRICK PROPERTY SOLUTIONS Q. I am thinking of buying a second home in the country. I’ve found something really lovely, but the house has been on the market for over a year. Should I be worried? A. Don’t panic, the country house market is very different from central London. Prices are [...]
FTSE has a rollercoaster day as US data undoes debt rally August 1, 2011 BRITAIN’S top share index shed 0.7 per cent yesterday after a rollercoaster session, with early strong gains on relief over a debt deal in Washington wiped out later by weak ISM data which threw the spotlight back on a faltering US economy. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was down 40.76 points, or 0.7 [...]
FTSE has a rollercoaster day as US data undoes debt rally August 1, 2011 BRITAIN’S top share index shed 0.7 per cent yesterday after a rollercoaster session, with early strong gains on relief over a debt deal in Washington wiped out later by weak ISM data which threw the spotlight back on a faltering US economy. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was down 40.76 points, or 0.7 [...]
Lloyds will be hit by fall in house prices June 1, 2011 LLOYDS would be the hardest hit of the UK banks by an expected decline in house prices over the next two years, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley. A note released yesterday by researchers at the bank painted a more pessimistic view of the housing market than analysts had previously predicted, with a 10 per [...]
Positive earnings news buoys markets July 19, 2011 Markets tipped into the black today after days of sell-offs prompted by ongoing sovereign debt fears. UK stocks climbed on a raft of company news as quarterly earnings data proved largely positive. The FTSE 100 ended 0.7 per cent higher at 5,789.99 as banks and miners were bought widely after selling yesterday left them looking [...]
Six parties in Lloyds talks for branches July 24, 2011 LLOYDS is in talks with six interested parties over the sale of its 632 branches, City A.M. understands, despite only two of them having submitted formal bids so far. However, some of those involved are only interested in chunks of the £68bn in assets on sale, which could prove a headache for regulators who want [...]
London’s house prices are still leading from the front May 17, 2011 HOUSE prices in the south east continue to outperform the rest of the UK, official data showed yesterday. Prices in London for March were 5.6 per cent higher than the same time last year, the Department for Communities and Local Government said. Annualised prices also rose in the east (2.9 per cent) and in the [...]