THE TIPSTER May 5, 2010 IT MIGHT be worth buying a small tranche of UK banking stocks. For the first time in over a year they have all drifted lower, not because of bad debt issues or sub prime worries, as was the case during the credit crunch, but because of a retraction in global risk sentiment. Spreadex offers a [...]
Titanic fine for Northern Rock bosses April 13, 2010 NORTHERN Rock’s former deputy chief executive has been fined an astonishing £504,000 for misreporting mortgage arrears at the stricken bank. David Baker was also banned from “performing any function in relation to any regulated activity”, effectively ending any chance of the 56-year-old returning from retirement. Northern Rock refused to comment on whether he will still [...]
FTSE lifted by banks and commodities as investor fears over Eurozone recede May 18, 2010 BANKS and commodity-linked stocks pushed Britain’s top share index higher yesterday, with risk appetite returning among investors as Eurozone debt fears ebbed, and Man Group recouping the previous session’s losses. The FTSE 100 ended up 44.80 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,307.34, but after retreating from an earlier session high of 5,341.41. “Any move [...]
OSBORNE: BANK IS KING OF CITY June 16, 2010 GEORGE Osborne unveiled sweeping changes to the way the City is regulated last night, scrapping the Financial Services Authority and giving a beefed-up Bank of England huge powers. Bank governor Mervyn King is set to become one of most influential central bankers in the world under the shake-up, with responsibility for maintaining the overall stability [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 30, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES ARCELORMITTAL FINED €276M FOR PRICE-FIXING ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest steel producer, has been fined €267.5m ($339m) for the part that its companies played in one of the most wide-ranging and long-running cartels to come to light in Europe. In all, 17 steel manufacturers were involved, and were given fines totalling €518.5m yesterday, with [...]
WHAT DOES THE ELECTION MEAN FOR BRITISH BUSINESS? May 7, 2010 DAVID FROST | BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE “At this stage, a hung parliament is not the best result for business. The UK needs strong and decisive leadership at this time of global financial turmoil. It is imperative that we see an early resolution as to who is going to be occupying Number 10 and Number [...]
Barclays eyes Standard Life banking arm October 4, 2009 BARCLAYS is set to enter exclusive talks which could see it snap up Standard Life’s banking division, after rival suitors walked away. The bank, led by chief executive John Varley, is expected to be granted exclusivity by the insurer later this week after it expressed strong interest in the arm, which has been valued at [...]
Barclays heads to Italy in its hunt for cut-price branches October 15, 2009 BARCLAYS is in talks to buy 135 Italian branches from Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS), as it looks to bolster its presence in Western Europe. The bank is due to meet top BMPS bosses in Siena, accompanied by advisers from Morgan Stanley, in the next few days. BMPSis being forced to offload the [...]
EX-SEYMOUR PIERCE BOSS COMES OFF THE SLOPES AND BACK TO CITY May 25, 2010 IT was only going to be a matter of time before Richard Feigen popped his head back over the proverbial parapet after resigning from broker Seymour Pierce at the turn of the year. Feigen, one of the best-known corporate financiers in the City, handed in his notice in January following a month-long internal investigation at [...]
London rises on comments by Fed chairman Bernanke June 9, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed higher yesterday, lifted by gains in miners and banks, as investor appetite for risk was boosted by positive comments on the US economy from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. The FTSE 100 closed up 57.71 points, or 1.2 per cent, at 5,085.86, after a choppy session which saw the index [...]