Sunday newspaper round-up: Shell, LSE, Old Mutual

27th Mar 2016 20:27

(ShareCast News) - Shell has quietly begun sounding out buyers for parts of its sprawling North Sea operations amid a slump that has seen the industry shed tens of thousands of jobs. Europe's biggest oil company strengthened its presence in the basin just last month when it completed its blockbuster £35bn takeover of rival BG. - The Sunday TimesThe London Stock Exchange's merger with Deutsche Boerse is coming under fire in Germany, with politicians and industry veterans speaking out against the deal amid fears that Frankfurt's status as a financial hub will be eroded. As both exchanges canvass investors about their £21bn merger, the decision to move the combined group's headquarters to London while giving the German bourse's chief executive, Car­sten Kengeter, the top job has been criticised. - The Daily TelegraphSome of America's biggest buyout funds are preparing bids for Old Mutual's £4.5bn wealth management arm after the FTSE 100 financial giant outlined break-up plans earlier this month. American big names Advent International, Bain Capital and Carlyle are among the buyout firms considering an offer, insiders said. Cinven and Warburg Pincus have already made a joint pre-emptive offer for the wealth division. Bain and Advent steered the £6bn float of FTSE 100 payment giant Worldpay last autumn. They are considering joining forces on a bid for Old Mutual's wealth operation, City sources said. - The Sunday TimesThe owner of Monarch Airlines is weighing a sale of the holiday carrier less than 18 months after rescuing it from collapse. Greybull Capital, the secretive investment fund that bought Monarch in October 2014 for a token sum, has made informal approaches to potential buyers. Rivals such as easyJet and Norwegian Air Shuttle have been sounded out by Deutsche Bank, which Greybull appointed to explore options. - The Sunday TimesThe Ukip-backed campaign to pull Britain out of the EU has recruited EU migrants to staff its call centre despite telling voters such low-skilled workers "deprive British citizens of jobs". Leave.EU employs four phone bank staff from EU countries including Slovakia. Their job is to rally voters across the UK to back Brexit. The appointments come despite Leave.EU claiming that "as the world's fifth biggest economy, the UK is well placed to supply its own labour". - The GuardianMost British workers are spending longer at their workplace for little or no gain in productivity, according to a landmark study being released this week. More than two-thirds of employees say they are working longer hours than two years ago, but only 10% believe they are more productive. The study of attitudes to work by the Smith Institute, a UK thinktank, also found that more than a quarter of staff believed their productivity had declined over the period. - The GuardianBoardroom pay will soon be back in the spotlight as this year's annual general meeting season gets under way in the City. Major investors are also on alert for companies handing out overly generous pension arrangements to their senior executives, having too few women at the boardroom table and not having succession plans in place for their bosses. - The GuardianThe wave of Chinese money seeking refuge in the West is provoking unease in the City as the country's entrepreneurs and businessmen come under increased regulatory scrutiny in the UK. A series of potential deals with Chinese investors around the world have collapsed or been blocked in recent months amid growing doubts over their ability to see through a deal. - The Telegraph