Thursday's newspaper round-up: ITV, economy, Goldman Sachs
6th Aug 2009 06:30
ITV is set to sell Friends Reunited to DC Thomson, the Dundee-based publisher, for £25m - less than four years after the broadcaster bought the social network for £170m, reports the FT. The worst of the recession is over, The National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) has said. NIE
Read moreHMV's Fox and Apple's Cagni on ITV shortlist
29th Jul 2009 09:36
Broadcaster ITV is likely to appoint an external candidate to take over from executive chairman Michael Grade, according to press reports. The Times writes that Simon Fox, the chief executive of HMV, and Pascal Cagni, Apple's most senior executive in Europe, are now the frontrunners to take the top
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Microsoft, ITV, Rio Tinto
29th Jul 2009 06:16
Microsoft and Yahoo are on the brink of sealing an online alliance that could create a more formidable rival to Google in the search business. The deal had yet to be formally concluded late on Tuesday but the major terms had been agreed in principle and, according to one person close to the discuss
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Rexam, Anglo American, National Express
26th Jul 2009 11:07
Rexam, the world's largest drinks can maker, will this week launch a £350m rights issue in a move aimed at preserving its investment grade credit rating. The fundraising will make Rexam the first to warn explicitly about the need to secure fresh capital in order to maintain its investment grade sta
Read moreLondon close: Bright finish for FTSE 100
13th Jul 2009 16:26
Footsie put a sluggish start behind it to finish with good gains, helped by a strong showing on Wall Street. Friends Provident was the best performer after Clive Cowdery's new vehicle, Resolution , said it has received "constructive feedback" from the board of Friends over its merger approach and i
Read moreLondon afternoon: Friends leads London higher
13th Jul 2009 14:32
Mergers and acquisition activity is keeping share prices bubbling as London makes a solid start to the week. Friends Provident is the best performer after Clive Cowdery's new vehicle, Resolution , said it has received "constructive feedback" from the board of Friends over its merger approach and i
Read moreLondon midday: M&A activity perks up shares
13th Jul 2009 11:56
The blue-chip index edged higher in the morning sessions despite the weakness of miners and banks, with increased merger and acquisition activity encouraging buyers back to the market. Friends Provident is the best performer after Clive Cowdery's new vehicle, Resolution , said it has received "con
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Darling to unveil new Banking Act
26th Jun 2009 06:21
Alistair Darling is planning a new Banking Act this year that will strengthen the role of the Financial Services Authority, in an unexpected move that follows criticism that the Bank of England failed to warn adequately of the impending banking crisis. The chancellor wants to give the FSA a new sta
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Xstrata/Anglo American, Brixton, Goldman Sachs
21st Jun 2009 09:27
Mining giant Xstrata has approached arch-rival Anglo American about a £41bn merger that would create one of the world's biggest natural-resources companies. Mick Davis, chief executive of Xstrata, is understood to have written to the board of Anglo last week to propose discussions about a deal aft
Read moreBT appoints Tony Ball as non-exec
17th Jun 2009 12:55
Fromer Sky boss Tony Ball is to joing telecoms giant BT as as a non-executive director. Ball, currently chairman of German cable TV business Kabel Deutschland, is widely tipped to take the new chief executive job at ITV following executive chairman Michael Grade's decision to move to a part-time ro
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Anglo American, CBI, ITV
15th Jun 2009 06:17
Cynthia Carroll, the chief executive of Anglo American, has lost the confidence of leading shareholders who want her to consider merging the London-listed mining giant with its rival Xstrata. Some big investors have drastically reduced their shareholdings in Anglo over the past year because of conc
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: General Motors, Vauxhall/Opel, BSkyB
31st May 2009 10:25
General Motors, once the largest company in the world, is expected to file for bankruptcy in a New York court tomorrow. Executives and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are spending the weekend finalising details ahead of the historic capitulation that comes after months of talks and billion
Read moreLondon close: Footsie limps back into positive territory
27th May 2009 17:02
The movements of London's blue-chip index looked as if they were being directed by the grand old Duke of York today, with the index starting the day on the up, then heading lower over the lunchtime session before finishing roughly where it started. Sterling moved above $1.60 for the first time sin
Read moreLondon afternoon: Footsie drifts into the red
27th May 2009 14:58
London's leading shares are mixed in quiet trading. Hopes of receiving a lift from a strong start on Wall Street have been dashed, with the US market trading indecisively as London as traders await the release of US existing home sales data. Water companies receive a boost ahead of the sector's res
Read moreSector movers: Media stocks in demand
27th May 2009 13:30
Media is one of the best-performing sectors after Goldman Sachs upgraded some of the major players. Broadcaster ITV is upgraded from 'sell' to 'buy' and added to the US bank's 'conviction buy' list. Goldman Sachs anticipates that forward advertising data will start to sow signs of levelling off ove
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