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Sunday newspaper round-up: Cadbury, Barclays, Bonuses

Sun, 13th Dec 2009 11:20

Crunchie to Crème Egg chocolate maker, Cadbury, will tomorrow unveil its formal defence document, spelling out why the future is so creamy that it doesn't need Kraft Food's £10bn hostile takeover bid which has caused a furious response. Chairman Roger Carr and chief executive Todd Stitzer are expected to say that trading is so upbeat that Kraft's offer undervalues the company and that its own valuation is much higher than the current bid, says the Independent on Sunday.The Sunday Telegraph adds that Cadbury and Hershey have held private discussions about plans for the American confectionary giant to launch a non-hostile bid that would be recommended by the management and board.The president of Barclays, Bob Diamond, has revealed that the bank will defer up to 60% of its bonuses this year as it attempts the "change the narrative" on the financial crisis away from pay and on to the retention of strong performing banks in London. In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Diamond admitted that banks had made mistakes in the past, said that bonuses had to be better controlled with more remuneration paid in fixed income.Banks, fund managers, stockbrokers, lawyers, accountants and just about everyone plying their trade in the City of London will tomorrow look for clarification over rules on the taxing of bonuses after days of confusion since the pre-Budget report (PRB). Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is expected to explain key details of the 50 per cent levy on "bank" bonus payments of £25,000 or more to 'relevant banking employees,' reports the Independent on Sunday.The Sunday Times adds that officials from New York, Hong Kong and Switzerland have launched a charm offensive to lure lucrative investment banking business away from London. Several large banks have started to draft plans to divert business away from the capital to rival international centres.Iraq is on course to overtake Iran as the holder of the world's second-largest proven oil reserves, solidifying its position as the energy industry's new frontier in the scramble to secure fresh resources. Baghdad agreed on Friday to deals with Shell and China's CNPC for two large oilfields, following on from similar accords with ExxonMobil, Eni and BP. On Saturday, Lukoil sealed a deal on the West Qurna field, writes the FT.Hugh Osmond, the pizza-to-pubs entreperenur, is back. Months after selling out of insurer Pearl, Mr Osmond is seeking to raise £500m for an investment vehicle aimed at acquiring distressed companies and funds in the consumer sector. The vehicle - called Horizon - will seek to raise the capital through an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. Mr Osmond said he will focus on "consumer-facing businesses, life insurance excluded", reports the Sunday Telegraph.Partygaming, the online poker group, is in merger talks with Bwin, an Austrian rival, in a deal that could create a £2 billion internet gambling giant, according to the Sunday Times.Rolls-Royce's development of an engine for America's new Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft has hit more problems, fuelling a campaign by President Barack Obama's administration to remove the UK company from the $300bn (£180bn)project. It appears that Rolls-Royce must redesign a key component, which critics claim is the latest in a string of failings that will increase costs and delay the introduction of the world's most high-tech jet, says the Independent on Sunday.Mouchel, an outsourcing and engineering group whose shares jumped nearly 20% on Friday, has received two secret takeover approaches. The rival VT Group is understood to have made both informal offers in recent weeks, only to be rebuffed by Mouchel's board, led by its chairman, Bo Lerenius. Serco and Capita, two other outsourcing groups, are said to be waiting in the wings if a formal bid materialises, reports the Sunday Times.In an unprecedented assault on the music download market, Tesco will sell the song - which is widely tipped to be Christmas number one - as an MP3 file for 29p, less than half the price of a normal single. Individual singles usually sell on Tesco's website for between 67p and 87p. Tesco's price cut will heap pressure on Apple's iTunes, which sells tracks for 79p, writes the Sunday Telegraph.Rents for commercial properties have soared to such an extent in select parts of London that landlords are demanding nearly £1,000 per square foot for sections of top-tier shops on the exclusive Old Bond Street, according to the Independent on Sunday.Transport for London (TfL) has drawn up a series of options to end the Underground public-private partnership and take over the sole remaining contractor, Tube Lines, which faces a crunch decision on its finances this week, says the Sunday Telegraph.Lawyers representing Scottish Widows, the Lloyds Banking Group-owned insurer, will on Thursday make their final arguments in Edinburgh's Court of Session in a hearing that could potentially cost the group hundreds of millions in compensation payouts. The case has been brought by the Actuarial Review Company, which alleges Scottish Widows was negligent in giving advice to pension fund members, writes the Independent on Sunday.Globespan, Scotland's biggest airline, faces a "crunch-time" funding deadline tomorrow, which is likely to decide the fate of the company. It's believed that Globespan, which was spared administration at the 11th hour last month, is still awaiting payments from Halcyon Investments, a Jersey-based special purpose vehicle, reports the Independent on Sunday.The ownership of Habitat changed hands this weekend after its Swedish parent company agreed to inject a €50m (£45m) dowry to rid itself of the loss-making furniture chain, according to the Sunday Times.Carnival, the world's largest luxury cruise ship operator, is expected to announce buoyant full-year results on Thursday with its premium brand, Cunard, keeping its bottom line afloat, says the Independent on Sunday.The Serious Fraud Office is preparing to launch a formal investigation into Kaupthing, the failed Icelandic bank, amid suspicions that it may have been involved in criminal activity, writes the Sunday Telegraph.Officials in the Treasury are already preparing plans for much sharper cuts in public spending in the event of the Conservatives coming to power, according to Whitehall sources, reports the Independent on Sunday.
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25 Mar 2011 17:19

London close: Footsie back at 5,900

Blue chips closed the week just above 5,900 with decent gains across a range of sectors helped by a smattering of broker recommendations. Reckitt Benckiser is wanted after Bank of America Merrill Lynch upgraded the stock of the Cillit Bang maker to "buy" from "neutral", while Autonomy is in the red

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25 Mar 2011 15:28

FTSE 250 movers: African Barrick rises on Tanzanian success

African Barrick Gold is a top performer after having further successes with its drilling programme on the Nyanzaga project in Tanzania. Euromoney Institutional Investor, the business publisher and exhibitions organiser, is among the fallers after its pre-close trading update underwhelmed investors.

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25 Mar 2011 14:07

London afternoon: Gaming firms in demand

Leading shares are mixed after the strong opening prompted traders to bank some profits at the end of a week which has seen the top share index advance by around 170 points. Broker commentary is behind the share price movements of the Footsie's best and worst performers. Reckitt Benckiser is wante

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4 Mar 2011 06:43

Friday tips round-up: Cobham, Aviva, Amec...

Yesterday's full-year figures from Cobham have much to recommend them. Underlying pre-tax profits were up by a healthy 4% to £306m, on revenues broadly flat at £1.9bn, thanks to an improvement in margins to 18.3%. Cobham is also working hard to insulate itself from the ructions over defence spendin

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3 Mar 2011 16:39

London close: Shares soar on Libya deal hopes

Reports that the Libyan situation might be resolved through mediation rather than violence sent UK shares sharply higher. The Arab League is said to be considering a proposal to end the fighting in Libya sending oil prices higher. Heavy oil users such as airline International Consolidated Airlines

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3 Mar 2011 15:28

FTSE 250 movers: PartyGaming surges as sales rise

Online gambling firm PartyGaming is the best performer on the FTSE 250 after 2010 revenues rose by 15%, after casino games, bingo and sports betting offset weakness from the company's poker operations. Cobham was also higher despite statutory pre-tax profits for 2010 falling to £189m, from £245m, h

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3 Mar 2011 14:33

Revenues soar at PartyGaming

Casino games, bingo and sports betting drove revenues higher at PartyGaming in the year to 31 December, offsetting weakness from the company's poker operations. Revenues rose by 15% from the previous year to €357.3m (£300m) to €310.1m, with casino revenues jumping to €151.4m from €136.3m, bingo rev

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3 Mar 2011 14:13

London afternoon: Footsie cruises towards 6,000

Footsie has 6,000 within its sights once more as stocks bounce back strongly on hopes that the Libyan situation might be resolved. Reports that the Arab League is considering a proposal to end the fighting in Libya have boosted sentiment, and has sent the price of oil into reverse. Heavy oil users

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28 Jan 2011 15:56

FTSE 250 movers: BTG and IG Group on the decline

BTG is on of the heaviest fallers despite yesterday's announcement that the speciality pharmaceuticals developer expects its recurring revenues will grow by £5m following the Biocompatibles acquisition. IG Group is following suit after the its was reported yesterday that the spreadbet firm has one

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17 Dec 2010 08:12

PartyGaming's casino keeps year on track

PartyGaming, the internet gambling firm that's merging with rival bwin, has traded in line with expectations during the fourth quarter, with a stronger casino business offsetting weakness in poker and bingo. The company said trading since the end of September has been "solid" overall, thanks mainly

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15 Nov 2010 08:04

Sportingbet confirms talks

Online bookmaker Sportingbet has confirmed it is in talks about 'potential opportunities', rumoured to be with Swedish rival Unibet in a deal that could be worth up to £600m. "The company confirms that it has had and will continue to have discussions with different parties in relation to a variety

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22 Oct 2010 16:24

London close:Dull end to the week

London has closed lower as Wall Street failed to arouse much enthusiasm and miners fell back with a weak dollar. Talks about currency tensions at this weekend's G20 meeting in Korea are also making traders cautious. Lonmin, Eurasian Natural Resources Corp, Vedanta and Anglo American are lower. Tw

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22 Oct 2010 15:25

London afternoon: Gloomy mood continues

Blue chips are stuck in the red as Wall Street failed to arouse much enthusiasm and miners continue to wallow in negative territory as dollar strength trims commodity prices. US company earnings have been largely well-received, but talks about currency tensions at this weekend's G20 meeting in Kore

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22 Oct 2010 12:54

Broker tips: GSK, PartyGaming, Debenhams

Panmure Gordon has not changed its forecasts for GlaxoSmithKline following third quarter results that failed to rouse much excitement. The drugs firm's results were broadly in line with the broker's expectations reporting revenues of £6.81bn and earnings per share of 28.2p. The broker recently dow

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22 Oct 2010 12:44

Broker snap: Exciting future ahead for PartyGaming

KBC Peel Hunt expects that the completion of PartyGaming's merger with bwin Interactive Entertainment to be one "well worth waiting for". The internet gambling firm's third quarter results were in line with forecasts with revenues at €85.3m. This represented a 6% decline compared with the last quar

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