| Corporates issue bonds to pay down debt |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| Both Waterford Wedgewood and Independent News & Media have issued corporate bonds in an effort to reduce their debt. |
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| Credit derivatives top the list of ‘Banana Skins’ for 2004 |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| The development of the credit derivatives market has enabled banks to transfer credit risks to other financial institutions, principally the insurance sector, thus protecting themselves. However, the jury is out on whether credit derivatives can effectively mitigate risk. Conor Griffin reports on the 2003 'Banana Skins Report', which reveals that respondents to the 2003 survey have voted credit derivatives as being their main concern over the coming years. |
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| Day in the Life: an investor relations adviser |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| Jonathan Neilan is a principal of K Capital Source, an independent capital market communications and advisory practice, which was founded in October 2002, following the €3.8 billion leveraged buy-out of Jefferson Smurfit Group, and offers investor relations advice. |
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| Dublin grows in importance as issuance and investment centre |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| With two domestic issues during 2003, Ireland’s share in the European securitisation market has increased, and as of the end of Q2, 2003, Ireland accounted for three per cent of total issuance in Europe delegates at the second annual Finance Dublin International Securitisation Conference were told. Pictured are speakers on the arbitrage funds panel (l-r): Ray Wyer, director, Bank of Ireland International Finance, Donal Daly, managing director, Avoca Capital and Alan Kerr,credit analyst and loan portfolio manager, Harbourmaster Capital. |
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| Dublin has highest vacant office rate in Europe at 17.7 p.c., but is just one of 2 cities where trend is down |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| Although Dublin has the highest office vacancy rate in Europe, ahead of Stockholm and Budapest, it is one of only two cities in which the rate declined in Q3 according to the Jones Long LaSalle office clock, which illustrates short-term trends in prime face rental values in the prime location within each market. |
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| EBS follows Unicredito and launches CD programme |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| The second Irish Certificates of Deposit (CD) programme has been launched by EBS Building Society as part of a combined €1 billion Euro CD and Euro Commercial Paper (CP) programme. This follows on from the first €5 billion programme established by Unicredito Italiano Bank in October. (See last month's issue).
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| Employers in driving seat |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
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| Ergometrics and financial services |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| Dashboard reporting is a key element of the change that Cooperative Financial Services (CFS) has effected as part of the coming together of The Co-operative Bank and Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS) writes John Hanlon. He says that it is making cultural changes that have a positive impact on the business structure. |
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| ESB and Bord na Mona take top prizes |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
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| Euro to continue to rise in 2003 |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| Niall Dunne says the dominant themes of 2004 will be the continuing strengthening of the euro - to 1.30 against the dollar, the slight increase in interest rates in the Euro zone, and the key role America will play in determining global economic conditions. |
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| Head of FSI warns of threat of over-regulation |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| ‘I regret to say that there is a palpable sense of unease within the financial sector in Ireland about what is becoming an over-regulated business environment,’ chairman of Financial Services Ireland (FSI), William Slattery told attendees at the Annual Members’ Dinner of FSI at the Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday, December 9th. Pictured are (l-r) Willie Slattery, the Tanaiste Mary Harney, and director of FSI, Aileen O'Donoghue. |
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| High net worth individuals get a taste again for the stock markets |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| Brian Weber says direct participation by private clients in the stock market was at its lowest in the second half of 2002 through to the first half of 2003, but that the tide has now turned and private client investor appetite has perked up since early summer. |
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| HQ regime puts Ireland ‘in the driving seat’ |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| The decision in this year’s Budget to make Ireland a more attractive location for headquarters/holding companies has been broadly welcomed by the financial services industry, who see it as a chance for Irish based subsidiaries of international companies to play a greater role in determining the company’s strategic objectives. |
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| IFRS - where has ‘earnings’ gone? |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| With the IASB currently revieing the presentation of financial performance, the format of the income statement, the statement of changes in equity, and the cash flow statement, are all set to change says John McDonnell. |
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| Insurance - who is winning and who is slipping, as the non-life sector picks up with profits of €217 million |
Issue: 12 / 2003 |
| The IIF figures recently released simply detail the gross premium income from life and pensions and gross written premiums in the non-life sector. But to facilitate a more detailed analysis of who has gained and who has lost market share, FINANCE has conducted its own analysis of the IIF figures to establish who has fared best and worst in the Irish market. The life and pensions market continues to experience tough trading conditions Brendan McGrath finds in this analysis of the market shares of Irish insurers. However, he also finds that the non-life sector has recovered remarkably, and boasted double-digit premium growth in 2002. |
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