Banks agree to increase lending
9th Feb 2011 13:15
Britain's big banks are to lend about £190bn to businesses this year in a deal announced by the government today. Under 'Project Merlin', which was conjured up by chancellor George Osborne, £76bn of this sum will be made available to small businesses. Banks have been under heavy pressure to make mo
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, C&W Comms, Reckitt Benckiser
9th Feb 2011 12:17
How Barclays' management addresses the group's challenges in its 2010 results will be critical to convince the market of its ability to make attractive returns, according to Japanese broker Nomura. "With a new chief executive officer presenting, any comments made around initiatives to improve group
Read moreBroker snap: All eyes on strategy at Barclays
9th Feb 2011 11:46
How Barclays' management addresses the group's challenges in its 2010 results will be critical to convince the market of its ability to make attractive returns, according to Japanese broker Nomura. "With a new chief executive officer presenting, any comments made around initiatives to improve group
Read moreBank levy raised to £2.5bn
8th Feb 2011 08:16
Chancellor George Osborne has increased the government levy on bank profits this year by £800m to £2.5bn. Originally the chancellor said he would phase the tax in, with a lower rate of £1.7bn applicable in 2011 rising to about £2.5bn annually by 2012-13. But today, the Treasury said it had increas
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Bank bonuses, BP, Pfizer...
6th Feb 2011 11:02
Britain's biggest banks are poised to pay out a combined £6bn in bonuses despite government demands for restraint on City pay. The size of the payout will embarrass George Osborne, the chancellor, who is hoping to announce a peace deal with the City this week that will include targets for lending t
Read moreCBI opposed to break up of banks
4th Feb 2011 00:04
The desire to break up UK banks considered "too big to fail" should be resisted, John Cridland, the new head of the pressure group the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said on Friday. In a series of recommendations to the Independent Commission on Banking, Cridland said: "Businesses value i
Read moreBroker tips: UK banks, Experian
3rd Feb 2011 14:08
According to Credit Suisse, there is "little to excite" investors in UK banking: Barclays remains the broker's top pick in the sector, while target prices are reduced for Lloyds, RBS, HSBC and Standard Chartered. In regards to the sector as a whole, "our advice is unchanged", says analyst John Pier
Read moreBroker snap: Little to excite at UK banks
3rd Feb 2011 13:06
According to Credit Suisse, there is "little to excite" investors in UK banking: Barclays remains the broker's top pick in the sector, while target prices are reduced for Lloyds, RBS, HSBC and Standard Chartered. In regards to the sector as a whole, "our advice is unchanged", says analyst John Pier
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: LSE, BP, Dividends...
31st Jan 2011 06:44
Stock exchanges in Britain and the US have turned to the security services for help after discovering they were the victims of terrorist plots and attempted cyber attacks that aimed to spread panic in leading global financial markets. The London Stock Exchange has been working with the Cabinet Offi
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: BP, Soros, banks
27th Jan 2011 06:04
BP and Rosneft have pledged to expand their Arctic development deal after asserting the agreement does not violate the terms of BP's prior tie up with Russian oligarchs. Signing a "strategic framework agreement" on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, BP and state-owned
Read moreLondon close: Company updates drive FTSE 100 higher
26th Jan 2011 16:47
Shares closed with decent gains though off their earlier highs, as well-received company updates helped drive the FTSE 100 forward in line with other markets. BG Group was strong after yet another discovery in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil. The latest strike is at Carioca North-East, located in
Read moreBarclays fined again by regulator
26th Jan 2011 12:44
High street bank Barclays has been hit with a £1.12m fine by the Financial Services Authority, its second hefty penalty from the financial regulator in little over a week. Investment bank arm Barclays Capital received the fine for failing to separate its own money from its clients', with at one poi
Read moreBarclays to pay bonuses in cocos
24th Jan 2011 17:47
Barclays plans to revamp the way it pays many of its top-level staff in an effort to give the bank more stability and moving room if it runs in to trouble. The new incoming boss Bob Diamond is reportedly considering issuing contingent convertible bonds, or 'cocos', to more than 1,000 members of its
Read moreLondon close: Shares jump after sluggish start
24th Jan 2011 16:46
Shares put their early indecisiveness behind them to close with good gains after a decent start on Wall Street. Banks were weak after comments by the head of the Independent Banking Commission over stricter capital rules and possible separation of the retail and investment bank arms. The political
Read moreLondon afternoon: Stocks edge higher
24th Jan 2011 14:49
After a morning of indecision, leading shares pushed on over the lunch time session, despite the weakness of the banking sector. Banks are weak after comments by the head of the Independent Banking Commission over stricter capital rules and possible separation of the retail and investment bank arms
Read more