Weekend News Summary 30 March 2015 Bank of England Chiefs rush to quash talk of interest rate cut: The split among policymakers at the Bank of England widened as the Governor and one of his deputies said that the Bank’s first move on interest rates was likely to be upwards, only a week after its Chief economist had mooted a cut. Dawn Summers leaves Genel to concentrate energy on Iraq: A Senior Executive who followed Tony Hayward from BP to Genel Energy is leaving the oil producer in a signal that the company’s original Turkish management is picking up the reins. Greeks add €3 billion-a-year sweetener to debt talks: Greece has submitted plans to its Eurozone creditors to raise an extra €3 billion a year to help to pay its debts. EDF wins new deal to keep lights on in public sector: EDF Energy has beaten off competition from its Big Six rivals to win back the £1 billiona-year government contract to supply electricity to hospitals, motorways, police stations and schools. Co-op Bank counts reduced losses in cash and customers: The Cooperative Bank has shrunk its losses and built its financial strength, offering hope for a bank that almost collapsed two years ago. Sanne Group takes undercover route to flotation: A £232 million company that handles paperwork for hedge funds is the latest stock market debutant to have secretly signed up shareholders without previously announcing that it was floating. Former Logica Manager jailed for insider trading: A former Manager at Logica has been jailed for ten months after he pleaded guilty to insider trading, making thousands of pounds buying the shares of the IT consultancy ahead of its takeover by CGI group, of Canada, in 2012. Ryan Willmott, who was the group’s reporting and financial planning Manager, admitted using his inside knowledge of the CGI deal to trade in Logica shares, earning more than £30,000 in the process. BlackBerry turns fewer phone sales into profit: Smartphone sales at BlackBerry slumped to their lowest level in nine years during the fourth quarter, but the struggling company still managed to report a small profit, suggesting that its recovery is beginning to take hold. Current Value (%) Change* FTSE 100 6,909.0 0.8% DAX 30 12,022.8 1.3% CAC 40 5,079.0 0.9% DJIA** 17,712.7 - S&P 500** 2,061.0 - NASDAQ Comp.** 4,891.2 - Nikkei 225 19,411.4 0.7% Hang Seng 40 24,855.1 1.5% Shanghai Comp 3,786.6 2.6% Kospi 2,030.0 0.5% 27,904.8 1.6% 5,846.1 -1.2% BSE Sensex S&P/ASX 200 -2.4% -1.4% -1.1% -2.3% -2.2% -2.7% -1.4% 0.5% 2.0% -0.9% -2.8% -0.9% Current Values as at 10:15 BST, *%Chg from Friday Close, **As on Friday Close Goodman Masson is the largest independent financial recruiter in the UK and has been recruiting professionally qualified accountants and other finance professionals for over 20 years. With a team of over 130, we hold annual revenues exceeding £29 million and operate purely within the specialism of Finance covering Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Internal Audit, Risk, Finance change, Actuarial, Corporate Development, Public Sector, Management Consultancy, Compliance and Public Practice. 120 Aldersgate Street London EC1A 4JQ 020 7336 7711 [email protected] www.goodmanmasson.com page 1 of 9 1W% Change Alliance Trust hit by bombshell from ex-Director: A former Director of Alliance Trust has written a bombshell letter to shareholders bemoaning the company’s “dismal” performance and suggesting that its £1.4 million-a-year Boss, Katherine Garrett-Cox, is overpaid. Carney piles pressure on banks with tough new stress tests: The Bank of England will unveil tough new stress tests tomorrow that may force big banks to spend billions bolstering capital reserves. Greece offers VAT rise to win cash from Europe: Greece has promised to increase VAT, privatise ports and airports and squeeze money from media companies in return for a €10 billion (£7.3 billion) cash injection from Brussels. Mondelez to cream $3 billion from cheese: The Owner of Philadelphia cream cheese in Europe is weighing a $3 billion auction of the brand, which is likely to attract the interest of the buyout firm behind last week’s blockbuster merger of Heinz and Kraft. Treasury takes aim at ‘sloppy’ ONS data: The Treasury has criticised the government’s own statisticians for a catalogue of sloppiness, including mistakes and slow responses with data. Currency traders’ mobile phones under scrutiny: Police are studying the mobile phones of staff at a foreign exchange trading firm at the centre of a fraud and money laundering investigation Alliance Trust comes under fire closer to home: Alliance Trust, the investment trust under attack by an American hedge fund, has come under fire on a second front. Dunbar faces challenge over ‘bankruptcy’ policy: Zurich is battling claims that one of its British subsidiaries unfairly forced the small business Owners and property developers into bankruptcy. Santander’s big plans for small business: By offering a range of services such as overseas trips and mentoring, Santander is aiming to double its share of the small business banking market by the end of next year. Stress tests put emphasis on Asia-focused lenders: Britain’s biggest banks will be told the terms of the latest stress tests by the Bank of England, which are expected to delve into the exposure of lenders to a crisis in emerging markets and a big financial crash. Councils caught on the hop could stall housebuilding: Housebuilding in many parts of Britain could be delayed by the lack of preparation among three quarters of local authorities for changes to the planning system that come into force next month. City jobs lost in spite of upbeat outlook: The number of jobs in the UK’s financial services industry has continued to fall in spite of rising levels of optimism. Insecure jobs and unpredictable hours on rise among CAB clients: The Citizens Advice Bureau says an increasing number of its clients have insecure jobs with unpredictable hours, causing them problems with debt, housing, benefits and childcare. Vale Chief nominated to be next Chairman of scandal-hit Petrobras: Brazil’s government has selected Vale Chief Executive Murilo Ferreira as its preferred long-term candidate to lead the board of Petrobras from the end of next month, in a move aimed at reassuring capital markets. Head of B&Q to leave in Kingfisher revamp: The head of B&Q is set to leave the DIY chain in a shake-up of parent Kingfisher under its new Chief Executive Véronique Laury. European payouts rise by more than 10%: Europe’s largest companies have increased shareholder payouts by the highest annual amount since the financial crisis, largely driven by greater contributions from the banks. page 2 of 9 ChemChina Chairman hopes for a happy marriage to Pirelli: Bells ringing from a church next to ChemChina’s headquarters on Sunday morning provided a fitting soundtrack for the group’s Chairman to explain its proposed €7.3 billion takeover of Italian tyre group Pirelli. Talks on Iran nuclear deal edge closer, say diplomats: Representatives of the world powers gathering in the Swiss city of Lausanne this weekend insist they are closer than ever to reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. Chevron to offload its 50% stake in Australia’s Caltex: Chevron, the US oil group, is selling its 50% stake in Australian fuel company Caltex in a deal that is likely to fetch more than AUD$4.6 billion. Vivendi warns activist investor it could fall foul of French law: Vivendi has written a letter to the US hedge fund and minority shareholder that has challenged its strategy, warning that it could fall foul of French law in the event that it tried to form a united front with other shareholders. BNY Mellon Directors quizzed on CEO hunt: Bank of New York Mellon Directors have been quizzed on whether they initiated a hunt for a new Chief Executive, according to people familiar with the matter, in the latest intrigue to hit the custody bank. Insurers face €300 million payout for French Alps air crash: Insurers of the German wings airliner that crashed into a French mountain, killing all 150 on board, may pay out up to €300 million because claims are unlikely to be challenged, say aviation lawyers. Macquarie pays $15 million to settle SEC charges: The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Macquarie Capital with backing a US share-sale by a Chinese coalminer, even after obtaining a report showing that the miner was an empty shell without any income-producing assets. Intel in talks to acquire Altera for more than $10 billion: Intel is in talks to acquire Altera, a maker of “programmable” processors, in a deal likely to exceed $10 billion, according to people close to the deal. Slack admits intruders hacked its database: Slack, the fast-growing business messaging service, has owned up to being hacked last month in an attack that gave intruders access to its database of users. Google assists in robotic surgery: Google has teamed up with Johnson & Johnson to develop a new generation of robotic surgeons to help doctors perform more efficient operations, in the latest tie-up between healthcare and technology groups. Australia to join China-led bank despite US opposition: Australia plans to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, reversing a previous decision to stay out of the China-led institution. But it has placed conditions on its future membership of the bank in a bid to mollify concerns expressed by its key military ally, the US Quindell unit acquired by Australia’s Slater & Gordon: Slater & Gordon, the Australia-listed law firm, is buying the professional services arm of controversial British insurance claims processor Quindell for about £700 million. UK start-ups soar despite tech bubble fears: One in 11 people of working age in Britain are running or starting a business, suggesting the country is becoming the developed world’s capital of entrepreneurship. De Beers toughens rules for diamond customers: De Beers is making the biggest reforms in more than a decade to the way it sells most of its diamonds, amid concerns over the financial stability and transparency of some of its best customers. Brics banker Jim O’Neill goes to war on superbugs: The man who invented the Bric moniker for Brazil, Russia, India and China is spearheading a mission to tackle antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. Bid for Rexam sparks fears over loss of UK expertise: From glow-in-the-dark versions to market alcopops in Russian nightclubs to a one-litre beer container popular in Germany, the humble can has been transformed. US oil independents share sales boom despite crude price fall: US independent oil and gas companies have raised a record amount from share sales in the first three months of the year, as they seek to shore up their balance sheets following the plunge in oil prices since last summer. page 3 of 9 Bridgepoint raises €4 billion fund as private equity finance soars: Bridgepoint, the European buyout firm and Owner of Pret A Manger in the UK, has raised €4 billion for its latest fund in another sign of the wave of cash rushing into private equity. Medics welcome GSK deal to provide meningitis B vaccine: Patient groups and medics have welcomed an agreement between the government and GlaxoSmithKline to make Britain the first country in the world to provide routine vaccination against meningitis B. Geely Chairman Li Shufu attacks Beijing strategy on car industry: Li Shufu, billionaire Chairman of carmaker Geely, said the government had handed Chinese manufacturers a “sugar-coated bomb” by insisting foreign peers establish joint ventures in the country and control no more than 50%. Swiss group Dufry snaps up Italian rival World Duty Free: Italy’s Benetton family has made €1.3 billion selling its stake in World Duty Free to Switzerland’s Dufry in a deal that creates the world’s biggest travel retailer. Publishers and adblockers are in a battle for online advertising: Electronic warfare has broken out between internet users and the $120 billion online advertising industry. Activist hedge fund turns focus on Japan’s Kyocera and Canon: The hedge fund that encouraged Japanese games console maker Nintendo into allowing its heroes on to smartphones is building a position in Kyocera and is also eying Canon. Record India spectrum auction set to spur telecoms consolidation: India’s mobile market is full of large numbers, from 850 million active users to annual handset sales of 200 million and revenues of roughly $30 billion. Now there is one more: the record $18 billion raised by India’s government in its latest round of spectrum auctions, which concluded last week. Chief Executive Mark Clare calls time after nine years at Barratt Developments: After guiding Barratt Developments through the financial crisis and riding the crest of the latest house price wave, Chief Executive Mark Clare is to hand over the shovel to finance Director David Thomas. Hinduja brothers top UK’s wealthy Asians list - with a combined wealth of over £54billion: The Hinduja brothers took the top slot in this year’s Asian Rich List of the wealthiest 101 British Asians after their net worth increased by £2 billion to £15.5 billion. RBS sells overseas arm of Coutts offshoot to family-owned Swiss rival: Royal Bank of Scotland has sold the overseas arm of its Coutts subsidiary to family-owned Swiss private bank Union Bancaire Privée (UBP). German fund hopes for boost from super Mario’s bond plan: Efforts to stimulate economic growth across the Continent are under way with the launch of a £46 billion-a-month bond buying programme by the European Central Bank. Takeover of TSB by Spain's Sabadell shows the market works, say banks: High street banks will use the £1.7 billion takeover of TSB by Spain’s Sabadell as evidence that competition is working and that intervention by the regulators is unnecessary. Mark Carney becomes latest BoE senior official to reject Chief economist Andy Haldane's claims over interest rate cut: Mark Carney and deputy Governor Ben Broadbent are the latest Bank of England senior officials to dismiss warnings from the Chief economist that it may be forced to cut interest rates to ward off deflation. AA to launch dedicated tyre-fitting venture as part of its listed company strategy: The AA is to launch a dedicated tyrefitting fleet as part of its strategy as a listed company. Alliance Trust small shareholders must become true activists: Karin Forseke, the Chairman of Alliance Trust, and Chief Executive Katherine Garrett-Cox, are putting up a spirited fight against hedge fund agitators Elliott Advisers. page 4 of 9 Fears of higher consumer bills as Britain faces going into next winter with depleted gas supplies: The UK’s biggest gas storage facility, Rough, will see its capacity cut by up to a third by Centrica during the summer while it tries to make repairs to the ageing site. BHS seeks to soothe pension shortfall fears as it sends letters to scheme members to reassure them over future payouts: Pension scheme members at struggling BHS have been sent letters reassuring them over future payouts after the sale of the High Street chain to Retail Acquisitions earlier this month. Shareholders in Government contractor Serco to vote on whether to approve ‘lifeline’ fundraising agreement: Shareholders in Government contractor Serco will vote on whether to approve a ‘lifeline’ fundraising agreement. Britain could miss out on billions of pounds from tourists as rival nations outspend on marketing to lure visitors: Britain could miss out on billions of pounds from tourists as rival nations outspend on marketing to lure visitors. British bankers working for Goldman Sachs shared £2 billion pay windfall last year: British bankers working for Goldman Sachs shared a £2 billion pay windfall last year, figures reveal. Sports Direct under fresh pressure on job contracts: Sports Direct is responsible for employing nearly one in every five workers in the retail and wholesale sector on a zero hours contract, official data suggests. Anger over pay rise for Co-op Bank Boss despite more losses: Campaigners have attacked the Co-operative Bank for handing its new Chief Executive a near £2 million pay rise to keep him with the troubled lender for at least another 18 months. Superdry parent Supergroup hires Idris Elba to help crack US: The troubled fashion retailer Supergroup has turned to the British actor Idris Elba to help it crack America – as its new Chief Executive revealed plans to pay a dividend next year. UN agency becomes first buyer of Ikea's flat-pack refugee shelter: A UN agency which protects and supports refugees has become the first customer of Ikea's temporary refugee shelter. Google faced with privacy lawsuits for snooping on Apple users without consent: Google could face a wave of privacy lawsuits in the UK after three people won the right to sue the search giant for snooping on their web browsing. Co-op coughs up £4 million to keep Chief Executive in the hot seat: Continuity comes at quite a cost of you’re the Coop Bank. More than £4 million could be handed to keep Chief Executive Niall Booker in the hot seat this year and he’s said he will remain in post until the end of 2016. 'It's bloody disgusting': Ecclestone blasts King: Bernie Ecclestone has launched a scathing attack on Justin King, the former Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s who has been widely tipped as a successor to the Formula One Boss. Conservative 'secret plan' for £12 billion welfare cuts: Secret plans for swingeing cuts to benefits have been drawn up by civil servants on the orders of senior Conservatives, it emerged last night. Shoppers splurge on the high street as prices plunge: Consumers are hitting department stores and furniture shops to splurge the windfall from cheaper petrol and food. NHS property sale could raise £7.5 billion to help pay off its growing deficit and free up space for housing: The NHS is set to sell off or redevelop land and property worth billions of pounds to help pay off its growing deficit and bring about a radical transformation of the way healthcare is delivered. CDC hits back at accusation over Sierra Leone timber investment: Britain’s foreign investment agency has hit back at concerns it has not risked enough money in Ebola-plagued Sierra Leone by pumping $15 million (£10 million) into a timber business based in the West African state. page 5 of 9 Northern manufacturers urge fresh boost to growth: Britain’s biggest manufacturers will this week call on whoever forms the next government to commit to greater economic devolution and push for more North-west investment to boost growth. Investors pour billions into luxury student flats: Russian billionaires are among a number of new investors buying up swathes of UK student accommodation, pushing sales this quarter to a record £3.3 billion. Italian retailer Yoox eyes Net-a-Porter: The Italian internet retailer Yoox is the latest contender to swoop in with an offer for the luxury fashion business Net-a-Porter that could value the London-based firm at more than £1.3 billion. Rolls-Royce to cut 200 jobs at two factories in Scotland: More than 200 jobs are being cut at Rolls-Royce plants in Scotland under plans by the engineering giant for a worldwide cutback. Co-op Bank could pay Boss £5 million package as losses halve: The Chief Executive of the troubled Co-operative Bank is being handed a potential £5 million pay deal, sparking a row as he prepares to axe more jobs and close another swath of branches. Loaded magazine to close after 21 years: Loaded, one of the titles synonymous with the mid-1990s lads’ mag boom, is to close after 21 years. Bond plans to Pep up fashion for mums: Aldi and Lidl have done it in the grocery market; B&M has done it in homewares; now former Asda Boss Andy Bond is preparing to unleash the discounter model on clothes retailing. Sports Direct takes Rangers fan to court over effort to access shareholder register: Sports Direct is taking legal action against a Rangers supporter who applied to access the company’s shareholder register to garner support for a campaign over the use of zero-hours contracts and club merchandise deals. Britain's first titan-sized prison gets green light: The contract to build Britain’s first titan prison holding more than 2,100 inmates has been signed just days before next Monday’s deadline, when parliament officially dissolves for the general election. Greece submits reform proposals to Eurozone creditors – with a warning: Greece submitted a long-awaited list of structural reforms to its creditors as its leftist-led government warned it would stop meeting debt obligations if negotiations failed and aid was not forthcoming. Clarkson Top Gear Live tour could run without BBC branding: The BBC’s commercial arm is exploring a range of options to save its Top Gear Live global world tour, including running the events unbranded to allow Jeremy Clarkson to continue to front the shows. Pay freezes and cuts contradict claims by George Osborne: More than 40% of Britain’s recession-scarred workers expect to receive a pay freeze or a cut to their wages this year despite George Osborne’s claim to have restored living standards, ensuring they would “grow strongly every year for the rest of the decade”. Sir Philip Green’s family firm received £70 million from sales to new BHS Owners: A Jersey company controlled by Sir Philip Green’s family received £70 million from the sale of 12 properties to the new owners of BHS as part of a deal to offload the loss-making high street chain. Luxembourg warned about its reliance on multinational corporations: Luxembourg flag must move away from its reliance on hosting internal financing functions for multinational businesses if it wants to guard against the impact of a G20-led crackdown on international tax avoidance, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has warned. British Airways frequent-flyer accounts hacked: Hackers have accessed tens of thousands of British Airways frequentflyer accounts. page 6 of 9 Monday, 30 March 2015 Key Economy Releases Key Corporate Releases UK: Consumer Credit, M4 Money Supply (YoY), Net Lending to Individuals, Mortgage Approvals, Net Consumer Credit, Net Lending Sec. on Dwellings, Gfk Consumer Confidence Final Results: AL Noor Hospitals Group, Billing Services Group Ltd., Black Sea Property Fund Ltd (The), Cenkos Securities, Central Asia Metals, Dunedin Income Growth Inv Trust, Eden Research, Everyman Media Group, Globaltrans Investment GDR (Reg S), Instem, Learning Technologies Group, Miton Group, Outsourcery, Plant Health Care, Revolymer, Tasty, Volga Gas, XLMedia US: Personal Consumption Expenditure Core (YoY), Personal Income (MoM), Personal Spending, Personal Consumption Expenditure Core (MoM), Personal Consumption Expenditure Deflator (YoY), Disposable Income, Savings ratio, Pending Home Sales (YoY), Dallas Fed Manufacturing Business Index, US Pending home sales, Fischer Speaks on Monetary Policy and Stability in Georgia Interim Results: Aberdeen Asian Smaller , Companies Investment Trust, Quadrise Fuels International, Vietnam Infrastructure Ltd. EU: Business Climate Indicator, Consumer Confidence, Economic Sentiment Indicator, Industrial Confidence, Services Sentiment Indicator Tuesday, 31 March 2015 UK: Index of Services (3M/3M), Gross Domestic Product (YoY), Total Business Investment (YoY), Current Account, Index of Services (MoM), Lloyds Business Barometer, Saving Ratio, Shortterm interest rates Final Results: Avengardco Investments Public Ltd GDR, Chesnara, Christie Group, e-Therapeutics, InternetQ, Kingfisher, LiDCO Group, Martinco, MMC Norilsk Nickel ADR, PJSC Centre For Cargo Container Traffic Transcontainer GDR (Reg S) US: Fed's Lacker Speaks on the Economic Outlook in Richmond, Fed's Lockhart Gives Welcome at George Conference, Fed's Mester to Moderate Georgia `Future of Banks' Panel, NAPM-Milwaukee, S&P/Case-Shiller Composite20 (YoY), S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, Chicago PMI, Consumer Confidence, DOE US Refinery Utilization, Fed's George Speaks in New York Interim Results: Inland Homes, James Halstead EU: Unemployment Rate, Consumer Price Index (YoY), ECB's Nouy Speaks to EU Parliament Committee in Brussels, Short-term interest rates page 7 of 9 Trading Statement: Thomas Cook Group Wednesday, 01 April 2015 Key Economy Releases Key Corporate Releases UK: Markit Manufacturing PMI, Output per Worker SA (YoY), Unit Labour Costs (YoY), Unit Wage Costs (YoY), Productivity hours SA, Output per hour worked SA, LFS Employment SA, Exchange rates/ US dollar Final Results: Evraz Interim Results: ASOS US: MBA Mortgage Applications, ADP Employment Change, Fed's Williams Moderates Panel on Financial Stability, Markit Manufacturing PMI, Construction Spending (MoM), ISM Manufacturing PMI, ISM Prices Paid, Fed's Lockhart Leads Panel on Banks and Monetary Policy, EIA Crude Oil Stocks Change (Barrels), ISM Inventories, ISM Production, ISM New Orders, ISM Imports, ISM Export Orders, ISM Employment, Census Bureau US Construction Spending Total SA, DOE US Crude Oil Inventories,Total Vehicle Sales, Revisions: Wholesale Inventory and Sales Report, Domestic Vehicle Sales EU: Markit Manufacturing PMI, ECB Balance sheet, Exchange rates/ US dollar Thursday, UK: Markit Construction PMI 02 April 2015 US: Challenger Job Cuts (YoY), Challenger Job Cuts, Trade Balance, Continuing Jobless Claims, Initial Jobless Claims, Insured Unemployment Rate, Covered Employment, ISM New York Index, Factory Orders (MoM), EIA Natural Gas Storage Change, Inventories / Shipment Ratio, Baker Hughes US Rig Count, Fed Balance Sheet – Total Fed Assets, Fed Balance Sheet – Treasuries, Fed Balance Sheet – MBS, Unfilled Orders/Shipments EU: ECB Monetary Policy Meeting Accounts Friday, 03 April 2015 page 8 of 9 US: Average Hourly Earnings All Employees (YoY), Average Weekly Hours All Employees, Change in Non-farm Payrolls, Unemployment Rate, Fed's Kocherlakota Gives Welcome Remarks at DC Conference, Change in House hold E mploym e nt, Change i n Manufacturing Payrolls, Change in Private Payrolls, Underemployment Rate, Average Hourly Earnings Final Results: Forbidden Group GDR (Reg S) Technologies, PIK Trading Statement: Electrocomponents, Marks & Spencer Group, Tate & Lyle This report has been prepared using non-independent research material available from public sources, which are believed to be reliable as at the date of this report. 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