THE LONDON REPORT February 9, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed up yesterday, led higher by miners and banks, but lingering concerns over Europe’s fiscal problems weighed on sentiment. The FTSE 100 ended 19.51 points or 0.4 per cent ahead at 5,111.84, having hit a session high of 5,132.93. Metals prices regained some ground after sharp falls last week, helping mining [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS February 9, 2010 ING Real Estate The investment management company has appointed Mike Evans, the chairman of stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown, as a new non-executive director. Evans has held an advisory role with ING for over three years. He also recently completed a two-year stint as director of life assurance at law firm Pinsent Masons and originally spent almost [...]
Santander plans London flotation February 8, 2010 SPANISH banking giant Santander may list its British and US operations on the stock market to free up cash for expansion. Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and the savings arm of Bradford & Bingley could return to the market at a joint value of £15bn under the plan, which is one of a number of capital-raising [...]
Blackrock settles on City for London base February 4, 2010 BLACKROCK, the investment management group in which Barclays owns nearly 20 per cent, yesterday beat off Macquarie Bank to land a 25 year deal to base its London operations at Drapers Gardens in the City of London. The deal, which will see Blackrock paying £49 per square foot with a three year rent-free period, was [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 3, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES AXA PUTS SPOTLESS UP FOR SALE Spotless, the French maker of laundry and cleaning products, could become the latest “pass-the-parcel” deal between private equity groups, after Axa Private Equity put it up for sale with a €600m-€700m price tag. A recent recovery in debt markets has encouraged private equity groups to become more [...]
The A-Team meets James Bond in this gung-ho mercenary adventure February 3, 2010 FIRE FORCE BY MATT LYNN Headline, £12.99 by Jeremy Hazlehurst YOU’VE got to hand it to Matt Lynn, he can certainly write a first line. “Until you’ve sat down to a game of poker inside Africa’s most brutal jail, you don’t really know what it’s like to sweat,” begins his second novel. No man, surely, [...]
Stylish Valentine’s wining and dining February 3, 2010 THE GREENHOUSE Chic but inviting, with a rustic touch and no expense spared on either the food or the opulent interior, and there’s an impressive wine selection – the owner has been collecting since he was a teenager. An ideal destination for the hardest-to-impress lover, and the Valentine’s menu cannot fail to thrill, either. Canapes [...]
Out of Office February 2, 2010 Shining City, at Camden’s Theatro Technis, premiered at the Royal Court in 2004. SHINING CITY TO OPEN IN CAMDEN John, a newly-bereaved businessman, is being haunted by the ghost of his wife. In a series of intriguing sessions with newly-qualified therapist, Ian, he explores the hidden guilt behind this strange phenomenon. Ian, however, has problems of [...]
Retail bonds launch online February 1, 2010 A NEW online trading platform will open up the corporate bond and gilt market to the retail sector. The launch of a new order book by the London Stock Exchange (LSE) yesterday will allow far greater access to private investors. Of an estimated 10,000 bond packages available, only 200 were readily available to retail investors. [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS January 31, 2010 BlackRock The asset manager has hired Kendrick Wilson, a former Goldman Sachs banker and ex-US Treasury adviser, as a vice chairman. Wilson joined the US Treasury in 2008 to advise then- secretary Hank Paulson on how best to navigate the financial crisis. BlackRock chief Larry Fink said: “[Wilson’s] unique perspective, informed by his vast experience [...]