City Moves for 18 August 2015 | Who’s switching jobs August 17, 2015 Investec Roger Lee has been appointed to the bank’s large cap pan-European sales team. He joins from Macquarie, where he was first responsible for leading the development of its global sales platform in Asia and the Middle East, and subsequently relocated to London to develop its UK and European long-only coverage. Lee has over 20 [...]
What’s going to happen to the economy in 2016? From persistently low oil prices to improved global growth, here are Goldman Sachs’ top 10 market themes November 19, 2015 Economists at Goldman Sachs have just released what they believe will be the 10 biggest economic themes of 2016. Here they are: 1. Global growth, more stable than it looks. The Goldman economists believe global growth is bottoming out this year at 3.2 per cent and expect it to accelerate to 3.6 per cent next year. [...]
Weak metal and oil prices drag the FTSE down – London Report September 23, 2015 WEAKER oil and metals prices weighed on commodity stocks, while motor insurer and repair group AA slumped after posting lower earnings, driving shares into retreat yesterday. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was down 2.8 per cent at 5,935.84 points at its close, slightly outperforming European indexes. AA, part of the FTSE 250 mid-cap index, fell [...]
Top banks could face millions in new PPI claims over commission August 10, 2015 Britain’s top banks are facing further fall out from the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI). The latest potential threat comes from a case brought by lecturer Susan Plevin, over a loan and PPI policy taken out in 2006. She was unaware that more than 70 per cent of the commission she paid on the [...]
RSA Insurance Group’s share price plunges as Zurich tells RSA: It’s not you, it’s us September 22, 2015 RSA Insurance Group’s share price plunged yesterday after rival firm Zurich revealed it was walking away from a £5.6bn takeover bid. RSA’s share price closed down 20.84 per cent as investors digested the shock news. Zurich’s share price was also down, albeit a less remarkable 2.79 per cent. Zurich said it was abandoning [...]
After a turbulent two days for Glencore, could its troubles trigger a Lehman moment for miners? September 29, 2015 David Madden, market commentator at IG Group, says Yes It is getting increasingly difficult for Glencore to avoid comparisons with Lehman Brothers. Both companies expanded aggressively in the good times and, like the collapsed bank, Glencore now finds itself in an environment where its empire-building has left it highly vulnerable. Like Lehman prior to its [...]
Alarm bells sound for global growth: What does it mean for investors? November 19, 2015 The state of the world economy is spooking analysts. In October, the IMF downgraded its global growth forecast for 2015 to 3.1 per cent, from the 3.3 per cent it predicted in July. Last week, the OECD added to the gloom, trimming its 2015 forecast for world output growth to 2.9 per cent on the [...]
Deficit bias: The chancellor’s fiscal strategy has worrying shades of Gordon Brown November 30, 2015 At the Autumn Statement 2011, the chancellor bore bad news. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had revised down the growth prospects of the UK economy, and revised up how much of the public deficit would not naturally fall as the economy recovered. George Osborne therefore faced a choice: to cut spending or raise [...]
Quindell share price falls after distressed companies investor Hedge fund Beach Point Capital Management beefs ups stake September 14, 2015 A US-based hedge fund has beefed up its stake in insurance group Quindell, which is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Beach Point Capital Management now has a five per cent stake in Quindell, after buying more than 420,000 shares in the company on 10 September. Beach Point, whose clients include large public and corporate pension [...]
QBE’s David Hall on how insurers are the unsung heroes of major sporting events: “I like to think we are the glue that allows the World Cup to operate” August 9, 2015 For A few short weeks next month, England's rugby team will find itself at the centre of the sporting universe. The World Cup will provide nailbiting thrills and drama, established stars will shine, new stars will burst into life, and seminal moments will be etched into the sport’s history books. Amid this landscape of excitement, [...]