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Events are conspiring against private-client stockbrokers, will they respond with mergers and acquisitions? by Simon Keane Could we be heading for a summer of consolidation among the private client wealth managers? Their unit trust businesses, losing assets by the day as markets... READ MORE >>

A bleak harvest of rising farm prices and scarcity is bringing on the prospect of a feeding frenzy by John Marshall The gravity of the global food crisis can be gauged by the fact that it commanded as much attention as the credit crunch at spring meetings of the World Bank and IMF.... READ MORE >>

The RBS debacle may just be the first by Tom Sieber Speculation is mounting that both Barclays and HBOS may be forced to consider a rights issue in the wake of a similar move at the Royal Bank of Scotland. RBS announced this week that it was seeking to raise £12 billion to... READ MORE >>

PEs that may mean bargains by Simon Keane It has been a poor quarter for alternative asset managers, but with some of these companies now trading on single-digit PEs the City is asking whether the accompanying sharp share price corrections have been... READ MORE >>

A security minnow plays the big fish for a contract in Oman by Dan Coatsworth A £7 million Aim-quoted security group has found itself in direct competition with FTSE 100 constituents G4S and BAE Systems, in addition to French defence group Thales and German technology firm... READ MORE >>

Caterpillar leads sturdy industrial charge by Timon Day Good news for UK industrial engineering companies came from across the pond with Caterpillar, the world’s largest maker of earth-moving equipment, reporting better than expected first quarter figures. Its shares... READ MORE >>

A big increase in bad debt provisions hits hard by John Marshall Beleaguered Findel chief executive Patrick Jolly says that he ‘doesn’t want a knee-jerk reaction’ to the current difficulties but, with the company admitting to a £5 million increase in bad debt... READ MORE >>

Eyebrows are raised over Paion’s move on the MG6 pharma by Susanna... READ MORE >>

The copper miner broadens its horizons Dan Coatsworth Copper producer First Quantum Minerals may be making its first steps out of Africa with a C$281 million offer for TSX-listed Scandinavian Minerals. Central to the deal is the Kevitsa project in Finland, once deemed one of the... READ MORE >>

M&A activity could put some charge in a struggling industry that has recently looked more semi than conducting by Russ Mould A succession of profit warnings have taken their toll on semiconductor stocks but a fresh round of consolidation could boost the beleaguered... READ MORE >>

Can the tech make its Philips acquisition pay? by Russ Mould It’s been four months coming, but Pace Micro Technology’s acquisition of Philips Electronics’ rival set-top box operation has finally closed, marking the latest step in the firm’s recovery since ... READ MORE >>

Oil prices flying higher than their planes and a blocked carousel of other problems leave the airlines looking queasy by Rachel Robson Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for the airline sector, it has. The year so far has proved pretty miserable for airlines, and... READ MORE >>