OBAMA’S PLAN | HOW IT COULD HIT THE CITY’S BIGGEST PLAYERS January 21, 2010 RBS Has a hedge fund and prop trading desk. As it is majority owned by the government, taxpayers will be the biggest losers if it is forced to close down profitable businesses. HSBC Expected to be one of the least affected banks. While it has a large US presence, its investment banking business is geographically [...]
Rallying miners offset weaker finance firms to help the FTSE 100 edge up February 8, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed 0.6 per cent higher yesterday, as gains in rebounding miners and strength in defensive issues more than offset weaker financials, which were weighed by ongoing eurozone debt issues. The FTSE 100 rose 31.41 points at 5,092.33 in choppy trade. The index fell 2.5 per cent last week, its fourth straight [...]
Business fund in doubt as banks pull out December 17, 2009 THE government’s proposed fund to stimulate lending to businesses was in trouble last night after it emerged a number of major banks may refuse to contribute amid a row over bankers’ bonuses. Standard Chartered has already turned down ministers’ requests to provide at least £25m to support the launch of the National Investment Corporation (NIC) [...]
BlackRock up as profits top expectations January 27, 2010 INVESTMENT manager BlackRock yesterday cheered the market with forecast-topping fourth quarter profits, although its acquisition of exchange-traded funds (ETF) business Barclays Global Investors (BGI) took some of the shine off the figures. The world’s biggest asset manager reported net income of $256m (£158m), or $1.62 a share, in the quarter to 31 December, up 392 [...]
Big City banks must be allowed to grow again February 7, 2010 TOMORROW, Barclays chief executive John Varley will become the latest business leader to appear before the Treasury Committee’s inquiry into how to solve the problem of banks that are deemed too important – or too large – to fail. Following President Obama’s recent proposals, this is a hot topic at the moment and the committee’s [...]
Shop Direct sales surge on internet January 5, 2010 LITTLEWOODS owner Shop Direct enjoyed a 6.3 per cent sales rise in the run-up to Christmas as shoppers flocked to buy over the internet. The home shopping group, which also operates the Woolworths.co.uk, Kays and Very.co.uk brands, said online sales were up 19 per cent on the previous year in the six weeks to 1 [...]
FTSE rocked as mining shares fall on commodity price drop February 23, 2010 BRITAIN’S top shares shed 0.7 per cent yesterday, tracking early falls on Wall Street and pressured by weaker miners and energy issues as commodity prices fell with a firmer dollar after dull data. At the close, the FTSE 100 was 36.98 points lower at 5,315.09, having hit a one-month high earlier in the session. US [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 2, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES CIC IN €800M OFFER TO APAXChina Investment Corp, China’s sovereign wealth fund, is offering to invest as much as €800m (£723m) into Apax Partners’ €11.2bn private equity fund in a groundbreaking deal.The move, which would see CIC acquire a small stake in the management company of one of Europe’s biggest equity funds, shows [...]
Paulson loses on Barclays short position June 4, 2009 PROMINENT hedge fund manager John Paulson has abandoned his fund’s short position on Barclays, losing an estimated £100m in the process. The loss will be particularly keenly felt because New York-based fund Paulson closed its position just a day before Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Corporation opted to offload 1.3bn shares in Barclays, pushing the [...]
FOOTBALL FUND LAUNCHES OUT TO CHAMPION THE BEAUTIFUL GAME February 7, 2010 GIVEN the City’s penchant for all things football-related, it’s something of a miracle that the new London Nominees Football Fund has managed to keep its launch virtually entirely under wraps – particularly as it’s got some of the beautiful game’s best known names on board. The fund officially launched at the beginning of the month, [...]