The next focusIR Investor Webinar takes places on 14th May with guest speakers from Blue Whale Growth Fund, Taseko Mines, Kavango Resources and CQS Natural Resources fund. Please register here.

Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

Pin to quick picksBarclays Share News (BARC)

Share Price Information for Barclays (BARC)

London Stock Exchange
Share Price is delayed by 15 minutes
Get Live Data
Share Price: 202.35
Bid: 202.15
Ask: 202.25
Change: 1.35 (0.67%)
Spread: 0.10 (0.049%)
Open: 202.50
High: 203.40
Low: 199.58
Prev. Close: 201.00
BARC Live PriceLast checked at -

Watchlists are a member only feature

Login to your account

Alerts are a premium feature

Login to your account

UK clamps down on markets after trader scandals

Wed, 10th Jun 2015 16:00

By Huw Jones and William Schomberg

LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - Britain announced plans to clampdown on abuse in financial markets on Wednesday after a stringof scandals that sullied the reputation of the financial systemand have so far cost banks $19 billion in fines.

Under the proposals, criminal penalties currently in placefor insider trading in shares would be extended to fixed-income,currency and commodity (FICC) markets with jail sentences foroffenders lengthened to up to 10 years.

So-called "rolling bad apples" or individuals who are firedfrom financial firms would no longer be able to move to anotherjob without their new employer knowing about their history.

And far more managers in FICC markets would be on the hookfor making sure that their staff stick to the rules althoughunlike bankers they will not automatically be presumed to beresponsible for misconduct on their watch, potentially weakeningits impact.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said central banks hadshared in the failings of the system in the past. The newaccountability rules would extend to him and his deputies at theBoE which was caught up in a foreign exchange scandal last year.

Carney said real markets were essential to guaranteeprosperity.

"Not markets that collapse when there is a shock fromabroad. Not markets where transactions occur in chat rooms. Notmarkets where no one appears accountable for anything," he said.

His comments were made in excerpts of an annual speech hewas due to give later on Wednesday to London's finance industrychiefs.

The Fair and Effective Markets Review -- which aims to pluggaps in the largely unregulated foreign exchange market inparticular -- was ordered by British finance minister GeorgeOsborne a year ago after several British banks were finedbillions of pounds in 2013 for trying to rig a widely usedinterest rate benchmark, the London Interbank Offered Rate orLibor.

Some of the same banks were hit later by more fines fortrying to manipulate the $5 trillion-a-day foreign exchangemarket at a time when the Libor rigging was being uncovered.

"Individuals who fraudulently manipulate markets and commitfinancial crime should be treated like the criminals they are --and they will be," Osborne said.

The review was carried out jointly by the Bank of England,the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Britain's top marketsregulator, and the finance ministry.

Britain has already introduced a law to prevent manipulationof eight major market benchmark rates, including those at thecentre of the Libor and foreign exchange scandals. Those rulesfeature the threat of prison sentences which will be increasedunder the new proposals.

The European Union is also close to approving a law totighten supervision of market benchmarks after agreeing tougherrules to penalise abusive trading practices and to inject moretransparency into trading.

The success of Britain's review will largely hinge onwhether regulators from other parts of the world follow suit,given the global nature of the markets involved.

Carney, who chairs a global regulators body, the FinancialStability Board, was due to say in his speech that he would urgehis peers at a meeting in London next week to adopt similarmeasures.

Some market experts have previously said the creation of anew Markets Standards Board -- one of the proposals made onWednesday -- may duplicate some of the responsibilities of theFCA, while having little or no enforcement powers of its own.

Carney said that if firms did not meet the standards set bythe new board, tougher rules would be inevitable.

Carney made no mention of British monetary policy in hisspeech.

In his 2014 speech at the Mansion House, the officialresidence of London's lord mayor, Carney told investors thatinterest rates could rise sooner than they were expecting,startling markets and causing a jump in sterling.

But the plunge in global oil prices in the second half of2014 pushed back expectations of when rates would rise, leadingto some criticism of Carney for giving confusing guidance on theBank's likely next steps. (Reporting by Huw Jones and William Schomberg)

More News
10 Apr 2024 19:26

Barclays reduces Fed rate cut view to one in 2024

NEW YORK, April 10 (Reuters) - Barclays economics team on Wednesday said it now sees the U.S. Federal Reserve cutting rates just one time in 2024, by 25 basis points (bps), in light of the upside surprise to the consumer price index (CPI) data released today.

Read more
9 Apr 2024 16:27

Sabadell feels no pressure from British M&A activity to sell TSB

ALICANTE, Spain, April 9 (Reuters) - Sabadell is under no pressure to sell its British TSB business, the Spanish bank's chief executive Cesar Gonzalez Bueno said on Tuesday, despite recent UK sector consolidation.

Read more
9 Apr 2024 12:20

PRESS: Barclays mounts challenge to UK car finance ruling - Sky

(Alliance News) - Barclays PLC has launched a legal challenge over a ruling that it unfairly paid commission to a car finance broker, Sky News reported late Monday.

Read more
5 Apr 2024 09:53

OSB promotes Victoria Hyde to chief financial officer

(Alliance News) - OSB Group PLC on Friday named Victoria Hyde as its chief financial officer, with effect from May 10.

Read more
4 Apr 2024 16:55

LONDON MARKET CLOSE: US initial jobless claims hotter than expected

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London closed up on Thursday, as investors first digested words from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell overnight, before reacting to hotter-than-expected US initial jobless claims.

Read more
4 Apr 2024 15:24

Sector movers: Lenders and industrial miners pace gains amid search for yield

(Sharecast News) - Lenders' and miners' shares helped London's top-flight index outperform amid a renewed focus on the part of some investors on so-called 'value' stocks.

Read more
3 Apr 2024 13:19

Morgan Stanley commits to Canary Wharf home until at least 2038

LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley's UK arm has extended a lease on its 547,000 square foot European headquarters in London's Canary Wharf to 2038, committing to the Docklands financial hub even as rivals relocate in search of smaller offices.

Read more
2 Apr 2024 09:54

LONDON BROKER RATINGS: Bernstein starts AstraZeneca at 'outperform'

(Alliance News) - The following London-listed shares received analyst recommendations Tuesday morning:

Read more
27 Mar 2024 20:59

Barclays executive denies discrimination in employee case

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - Barclays' former Global Head of Race at Work has defended her decision not to investigate further an employee complaint alleging racial, religious and sex discrimination at the British bank, an employment tribunal in London heard on Wednesday.

Read more
27 Mar 2024 14:42

Bank of England steps up scrutiny of private equity and bank valuations

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - The Bank of England said on Wednesday it was taking a deeper look at risks from the opaque private equity sector, and why valuations of Britain's main banks are "subdued" compared with international peers.

Read more
27 Mar 2024 13:44

Libor trader Hayes loses appeal against rate-rigging conviction

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - Tom Hayes, the first trader in the world to be jailed for interest rate rigging, lost his appeal against his conviction on Wednesday, a decision he said he would seek to challenge at the UK's Supreme Court.

Read more
27 Mar 2024 13:17

UK dividends calendar - next 7 days

Thursday 28 March 
Alliance Trust PLCdividend payment date
Balanced Commercial Property Trust Ltddividend payment date
Berkeley Group Holdings PLCdividend payment date
BHP Group Ltddividend payment date
BlackRock Energy & Resources Inc Trust PLCex-dividend payment date
BlackRock Sustainable American Income Trust PLCex-dividend payment date
BlackRock Throgmorton Trust PLCdividend payment date
BP PLCdividend payment date
City of London Investment Group PLCdividend payment date
Crown Place VCT PLCdividend payment date
CT UK Capital & Income Investment Trust PLCdividend payment date
Develop North PLCdividend payment date
Diversified Energy Co PLCdividend payment date
Downing Renewables & Infrastructure Trust PLCdividend payment date
Gateley Holdings PLCdividend payment date
Genus PLCdividend payment date
Hargreaves Lansdown PLCdividend payment date
HICL Infrastructure PLCdividend payment date
Idox PLCex-dividend payment date
Imperial Brands PLCdividend payment date
Melrose Industries PLCex-dividend payment date
Mid Wynd International Investment Trust PLCdividend payment date
Moneysupermarket.com Group PLCex-dividend payment date
NextEnergy Solar Fund Ltddividend payment date
North Atlantic Smaller Cos Investment Trust PLCdividend payment date
Personal Group Holdings PLCex-dividend payment date
Premier Miton Global Renewables Trust PLCdividend payment date
Quartix Technologies PLCex-dividend payment date
Renewables Infrastructure Group Ltddividend payment date
Schroder Real Estate Investment Trust Ltddividend payment date
SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust PLCdividend payment date
Smith & Nephew PLCex-dividend payment date
Taylor Wimpey PLCex-dividend payment date
Thames Ventures VCT 2 DSO 1 D PLCdividend payment date
Travis Perkins PLCex-dividend payment date
Utilico Emerging Markets Trust PLCdividend payment date
Vaalco Energy Incdividend payment date
Value & Indexed Property Income Trust PLCex-dividend payment date
VH Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities PLCdividend payment date
Volution Group PLCex-dividend payment date
Wynnstay Group PLCex-dividend payment date
Friday 29 March 
Energean PLCdividend payment date
Fiske PLCdividend payment date
Triple Point Social Housing REIT PLCdividend payment date
Monday 1 April 
no events scheduled 
Tuesday 2 April 
Ashmore Group PLCdividend payment date
Braemar PLCdividend payment date
Fair Oaks Income Ltddividend payment date
Fonix Mobile PLCdividend payment date
JPMorgan European Growth & Income PLCdividend payment date
MJ Gleeson PLCdividend payment date
RM Infrastructure Income PLCdividend payment date
Shoe Zone PLCspecial dividend payment date
Temple Bar Investment Trust PLCdividend payment date
Tritax Big Box REIT PLCdividend payment date
Warehouse REIT PLCdividend payment date
Wheaton Precious Metals Corpex-dividend payment date
Wednesday 3 April 
Barclays PLCdividend payment date
Tetragon Financial Group Ltddividend payment date
  
Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com
  
A full 14-day events calendar is provided each day with a subscription to Alliance News UK Professional.
  
Copyright 2024 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Read more
27 Mar 2024 11:45

UK Libor trader Hayes loses appeal against rate-rigging conviction

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - Tom Hayes, the first trader jailed worldwide for interest rate rigging, lost his appeal against his conviction in a London court on Wednesday.

Read more
26 Mar 2024 09:40

LONDON BROKER RATINGS: Dr Martens cut to 'sell'; BofA likes Tullow

(Alliance News) - The following London-listed shares received analyst recommendations Tuesday morning and Monday:

Read more
21 Mar 2024 11:45

Citi, Barclays set to trim investment banking headcounts

(Sharecast News) - Banking giants Barclays and Citigroup were reportedly gearing up to trim their investment banking workforce, it emerged on Thursday, amid a slowdown in dealmaking activity within the sector.

Read more

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.

Quickpicks are a member only feature

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.