Western Europe Archives

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News

UK/US: Derivatives Traders Assess New Regs

MILESTONES: UNITED KINGDOM / UNITED STATES By Anita Hawser Banks are scrambling to launch electronic trading platforms for derivatives transactions such as credit default swaps (CDSs) in an attempt to get ahead of planned regulatory changes aimed at ...

Features

Britains Big Gamble

FOCUS: UK RECOVERY STRATEGY By Justin Keay The UK government’s savage spending cuts and deep austerity measures have been touted as a model recovery strategy for stumbling Western economies. Faltering growth is raising questions over the strategy’s validity. ...

News

Canada / UK: Friction From Toronto-London Exchange Deal

MILESTONES: CANADA / UNITED KINGDOM By Erik Heinrich London Stock Exchange: Dominant partner? The proposed merger between the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) has prompted criticisms that it would not be, as the ...

News

Europe: Maintaining Focus On Development Aid

NEWSMAKERS: EUROPE By Justin Keay Piebalgs: Pressing Europeans to give more Spare a thought for Andris Piebalgs, the EU's development commissioner. At a time when politicians across Europe are telling people to tighten their belts during the toughest ...

Features

SEPA Update: Slow Progress

UPDATE: SEPA By Anita Hawser Proponents of the Single Euro Payments Area are considering stringent measures to encourage companies to hop on board. As eurozone countries busy themselves implementing liquidity measures designed to calm market fears about ...

News

UK: Businesses Brace For Bribery Crackdown

NEWSMAKERS: UK By Anita Awser High risk: UK bribery law will affect companies worldwide In a sign that regulators are clamping down on bribery and corruption in international business, from April 2011 the UK will implement what legal ...

Award Winners

Best Derivatives Providers: Europe

WINNERS: EUROPE Best Commodity Derivatives Provider Morgan Stanley Despite attempts by competitors to nibble at its market share when commodities prices were soaring in 2009, Morgan Stanley has maintained its dominant position in commodities derivatives in Europe thanks to ...

Features

Regional Report: Southern Europe

COVER STORY: LIVING ON THE EDGE By Laurence Neville Southern Europe's sovereign debt crisis may appear to have been resolved, but severe trials still lie ahead—particularly for Greece. The travails of Southern Europe—in particular Spain, Portugal and ...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

Europe: SEPA Fails To Live Up To Expectations

MILESTONE: EUROPE By Anita Hawser Slow implementation has hindered SEPA With the threat of sovereign defaults in Europe's PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece Spain), the eurozone had its fair share of bad news this summer. As the sovereign and ...

News

France: Sarkozy’s Commodities Plans Get Boost From Merkel

NEWSMAKERS: FRANCE By Denise Bedell Smooth move: Sarkozy hopes to rein in price volatility Commodity speculation is once again in the spotlight as Angela Merkel, German chancellor, has announced her support for plans by incoming G20 president Nicolas ...

Economics, Policy & Regulation

United Kingdom: Governance Code Puts UK Shareholders In The Hotseat

NEWSMAKERS: UNITED KINGDOM By Anita Hawser Hogg: Code will be catalyst In the wake of the financial crisis, which highlighted the need for higher levels of engagement between the boards of companies and significant shareholders, corporate governance is ...

Emerging & Frontier Markets

Features: Spotlight – EBRD

POST-CRISIS MANAGEMENT The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has found new relevance—and a key role—in the aftermath of the financial crisis. By Justin Keay Aside maybe from Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, few banks have emerged ...