Bell Pottinger, the top corporate PR firm, has an entertaining blog - "The Dispatch Box" - written by chairman Peter Bingle. A recent entry begins: "As I approach my twilight years I am often asked by clients, friends and colleagues how I have lasted so long in the public affairs business... I have survived and prospered longer than most of my industry peers. I have decided to reveal why..."... more
Don't expect St James’s Place’s compensation negotiations with customers who lost out on former partner Peter Carron’s investment schemes to die down any time soon... more
You read it here first. Five days ago, this column forecast "a tricky few months" at stockbroker Daniel Stewart. Lo and behold, shareholder Adam Wilson has taken over as chief executive... more
Hector Sants no sooner quits the Financial Services Authority, as he always said he would after three years, than the Tories are rushing to cover him with praise... more
One day after reporting an annual loss of £16 million broking firm Blue Oar is considering a £2.4 million bid for its tiny rival, Dowgate Capital... more
Stockbroking: The £16 million bid battle for stockbroker Blue Oar Securities turned nasty as it accused two of the directors of hostile bidder Evolve Capital of being involved in no fewer than 28 companies that have gone bust... more
Stockbroking: The world of small stockbrokers was thrown into the limelight as former employees launched an audacious bid for Blue Oar, while Ambrian and Panmure Gordon confirmed that they are in merger talks... more
Finance: Blue Oar, the investment bank and broking firm built up by former Oxford rower Andrew Monk, plunged into the red in the first half of the year, and said it sees little sign of improvement in the second half.... more
Sound check: German industrial metal band Rammstein literally play with fire in their live performances - and now they are about to unleash their singeing spectacle on London. Watch out for your eyebrows
Morning:
6°c
