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
20 Feb 2024 15:29

London close: Stocks finish lower on fresh China concerns

(Sharecast News) - London's stock markets closed in negative territory on Tuesday, with concerns over China's economic prospects exerting pressure on mining shares.

Read more
20 Feb 2024 11:57

LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Banking stocks drag FTSE 100 into green

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were mixed at midday Tuesday, after a busy morning of corporate updates and earnings.

Read more
20 Feb 2024 11:20

London midday: Stocks mixed after China makes bigger rate cut

(Sharecast News) - London's stocks were in a mixed state at midday on Tuesday, as concerns around China's economic outlook continued to weigh on mining stocks.

Read more
20 Feb 2024 08:52

LONDON MARKET OPEN: Stocks slide; banks rise as Barclays outperforms

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London opened in the red on Tuesday, as European markets failed to find upward momentum amid muted trading in Asia, and Monday's public holiday in the US.

Read more
20 Feb 2024 08:19

TOP NEWS: Barclays eyes GBP2 billion cost cuts and promises returns

(Alliance News) - Barclays PLC on Tuesday announced an efficiency drive, a new divisional reporting line-up and a plan to return GBP10 billion to shareholders over the next three years.

Read more
20 Feb 2024 07:47

LONDON BRIEFING: Barclays announces GBP1b buyback as 2023 profit falls

(Alliance News) - Stocks in London are called lower on Tuesday, following a US holiday, and a mixed performance in Asian markets.

Read more
20 Feb 2024 07:01

Barclays unveils massive overhaul as profits fall 6%

(Sharecast News) - Barclays Bank unveiled a swathe of changes on Tuesday, including a structural overhaul of operations, £2bn in cost cuts and a massive increase in shareholder payouts as annual earnings fell by 6%.

Read more
19 Feb 2024 16:10

Tuesday preview: China rate decision, Barclays in focus

(Sharecast News) - Investors' focus on Tuesday will be on the People's Bank of China's interest rate decision overnight.

Read more
18 Feb 2024 23:26

Sunday newspaper round-up: Currys, Barclays, Homebuilders

(Sharecast News) - China's JD.com has been looking at a possible acquisition offer for Currys. Just the day before the electricals retailer had rebuffed an approach by private equity. Exploratory talks between Currys and JD had been held over the preceding weeks. Additional bidders may appear. It was understood that Currys had been contacted by multiple private equity firms on an informal basis over recent months after it was forced to cut its dividend payout. It was but the latest example of a British business being taken out and for some showed that British businesses were being chronically undervalued. - Sunday Telegraph

Read more
16 Feb 2024 12:07

LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Stocks up as UK retail sales soften GDP jitters

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were up strongly at midday on Friday, buoyed by UK retail sales data that came in far better than expected and soothed worries about the economy after numbers on Thursday showed it entered recession last year.

Read more
16 Feb 2024 08:41

LONDON MARKET OPEN: Stocks climb amid UK retail sales surprise

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London opened higher on Friday morning, after a sentiment-boosting UK retail sales reading which calmed some nerves about the economy.

Read more
15 Feb 2024 11:59

REPEAT: Barclays bids to buy SocGen's UK private bank - Reuters

(Alliance News) - Barclays PLC is considering bidding to buy the UK private bank of France's Societe Generale SA, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Read more
15 Feb 2024 10:37

PRESS: Barclays bids to buy SogGen's UK private bank - Reuters

(Alliance News) - Barclays PLC is considering bidding to buy the UK private bank of France's Societe Generale SA, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Read more
15 Feb 2024 07:24

Barclays eyes SocGen's UK private bank - report

(Sharecast News) - Barclays is considering bidding for Societe Generale's UK private bank, it was reported on Thursday.

Read more
13 Feb 2024 14:34

UK earnings, trading statements calendar - next 7 days

Wednesday 14 February 
Coca-Cola HBC AGFull Year Results
Dunelm PLCHalf Year Results
Pan African Resources PLCHalf Year Results
Severn Trent PLCTrading Statement
United Utilities Group PLCTrading Statement
Thursday 15 February 
Benchmark Holdings PLCQ1 Results
Centrica PLCFull Year Results
MJ Gleeson PLCHalf Year Results
Relx PLCFull Year Results
South32 LtdHalf Year Results
Friday 16 February 
NatWest Group PLCFull Year Results
Segro PLCFull Year Results
TBC Bank Group PLCFull Year Results
Monday 19 February 
Bank of Cyprus Holdings PLCFull Year Results
MoneySupermarket.com PLCFull Year Results
Transense Technologies PLCHalf Year Results
Wilmington PLCHalf Year Results
Tuesday 20 February 
Barclays PLCFull Year Results
BHP Group LtdHalf Year Results
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLCFull Year Results
Gran Tierra Energy IncFull Year Results
InterContinental Hotels Group PLCFull Year Results
Petra Diamonds LtdHalf Year Results
Springfield Properties PLCHalf Year Results
  
Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com
  
A full 21-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

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.