Banks are employing staff to listen in on traders’ conversations, after jargon and banter outsmarts surveillance technology February 14, 2016 Banks are now hiring staff to listen in on traders' conversations, after banter was found to flummox sophisticated surveillance technology, according to a new report on market abuse. The report from professional services firm PwC discovered that banks plan to spend £156m on surveillance technology over the next 18 months to make sure that trading [...]
Hungry suitors circle Pizza Hut as owners put the restaurant chain up for sale February 14, 2016 The Private equity owner of Pizza Hut has put the restaurant chain up for sale after hiring advisers at PwC to find a buyer. Rutland Partners bought Pizza Hut’s UK franchise business from US firm Yum! brands in 2012 and set out on a £60m revamp of its 285-plus outlets to boost trading. Efforts have [...]
Former chief executive Martin Winterkorn warned of Volkswagen defeat device probe, according to reports February 14, 2016 The former chief executive of Volkswagen Martin Winterkorn was notified as early as May 2014 that US regulators would be probing into emissions-cheating devices, over a year before the scandal emerged, according to reports. Winterkorn and other senior figures have denied knowing about the so-called defeat devices, which can detect when a car is being tested for emissions. [...]
Sir John Vickers warns Bank of England “too big to fail” bank buffers are not enough February 14, 2016 New requirements for banks to hold enough capital to prevent them from going under in the event of another financial crisis have been questioned by Sir John Vickers. In a stark warning Vickers, the author of 2011's Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) report in the wake of the financial crisis and subsequent bailouts, has called the wisdom of the BoE's [...]
Oil price rout gets Opec members cooperating, says Nigerian oil minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachiwku February 14, 2016 The world's biggest oil producers are cooperating more after the prolonged rout which has left oil prices languishing around the $30 per barrel mark. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) are closer to cooperating, indicated Nigerian oil minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachiwku in an interview with Reuters. "There's increased conversation going on. I think when we met in December … [...]
Challenger banks: Hampshire Trust Bank says customer deposits are up more than 800 per cent as it posts first profit since 2014 management buyout February 14, 2016 Hampshire Trust Bank has posted its first profit since a management buyout in 2014, reporting strong growth in total assets, customer deposits and customer numbers for 2015. Hampshire Trust Bank, a specialist challenger bank focusing on small and medium-sized businesses, reported that its total assets had multiplied by more than four times during the year [...]
China’s central bank governor plays down fears over currency regime February 14, 2016 The governor of China’s central bank has downplayed fears over the country's dwindling level of foreign exchange reserves, saying there is no reason for them to fall to dangerously low levels. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China, blamed “speculative forces” for attacking the value of the yuan. China's stock market will open tomorrow after closing [...]
Reduce red tape for self-employed, Cambridge Satchel Company entrepreneur Julie Deane tells David Cameron February 14, 2016 The self-employed should have the burden of red tape reduced, one of the UK's top entrepreneurs has said. Julie Deane, founder of the Cambridge Satchel Company, has recommended the regulatory burden on those who are self employed should be addressed among other suggestions in a review of self-employment commissioned by David Cameron. She has also called for [...]
Home ownership is becoming a pipe dream for younger workers, think tank warns February 13, 2016 Owning a home is set to become a pipe dream for young workers on modest incomes, according to new research. Data from the Resolution Foundation found it is becoming increasingly difficult for young people on modest incomes to get onto the housing ladder, with just one in 10 set to be a homeowner by 2025. [...]
FTSE 100 index closes higher as price of oil rebounds and share prices at miners and banks including HSBC, RBS, Lloyds and Barclays rise and Rolls-Royce’s share price rockets February 12, 2016 Having taken a pounding on Thursday, the FTSE 100 index closed sharply higher today as the price of oil rebounded. The UK's blue chip index closed 3.08 per cent higher at 5,707 points, led higher by Rolls-Royce, banks and miners. The price of oil rose more than three per cent to nudge over $31 a barrel this morning, after an Opec minister [...]
