Kenneth G. Mondero

For the ninth consecutive year, Standard Chartered (LSE:STAN) posted income and profit growth, beating the economic woes that have swept the banking industry in 2011. With an income growth of 10% from a year ago, the international banking group earned $17.6 billion and made a profit of $6.7 billion out it, representing an 11% increase […]

Barclays (LSE:BARC) confirmed they are the bank involved in the crackdown of HM Revenue & Customs for tax avoidance schemes, which was announced the day before. Exchequer Secretary David Gauke, announced on Monday, 27th February they had stopped two schemes of an unnamed bank, which could have generated £500 million in taxes, in a rare act of “retrospective […]

Back-office solutions provider Xchanging plc (LSE:XCH) signed a new contract with BAE Systems to provide procurement services for another three years, superseding the current contract which is soon to expire at the end of 2012 The newly signed deal will have a lower margin than the previous contract, but nonetheless highlights the ambition in its thrust […]

Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) reported an annual loss of £3.542 billion in 2011, a very steep downfall from the £281 million profit it made in 2010, citing the £3.2 billion Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) provision as the single biggest factor behind the loss. Still, Chief Executive António Horta-Osório said the Group delivered “a resilient performance […]

AIM-listed Tower Resources (LSE:TRP) saw its shares tumbled down 24.5% from its previous value at 2:00 PM, London Time, after a report that no oil was found in its Ugandan asset. Why has this occurred? The Mvule-1 well, the last of the three wells under the company’s 100% interest in the EA5 licence was drilled […]

Europe’s largest oil company, Royal Dutch Shell, declared its firm intention to acquire the British oil explorer Cove Energy for a tag price close to a £1 billion, official statements from both companies reported on Wednesday, 22nd February. Royal Dutch Shell, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shell Exploration and Production (“Shell Bidco”), is offering 195 pence […]

Specialist software solutions provider Innovation Group (LSE:TIG) extended its contract with one of Australia’s largest insurance company, whose entity is undisclosed. Innov[7]ation Group, a global provider of softwares applications, which is catered to the insurance industry, with an annual revenue of £175.9 million in 2011, said the contract will generate new software licences to the value...

British power company Scottish & Southern Energy (LSE:SSE) struck a deal with Shell Energy Europe for a 10-year supply of gas to commence in 2015. This is the second supply agreement SSE  has contracted for the past year, with the first one with Statoil being agreed in June 2011, which supplied 500 mcm annually for ten […]

Bowleven (LSE:BLVN) shares were steadily rising since the opening of trading fuelled by rumours of a bid by Africa’s independent oil giant Tullow Oil, hitting 86 pence a share at 11:30 GMT. But minutes after that, at exactly 11:40, Dragon Oil broke its silence and told the authorities it is them and not Tullow Oil […]

BAE Systems (LSE:BA.) took a significant cut in 2011 as headline sales for the year were down 14% from a year ago, citing reduction in defence spending from its major markets, the US and the UK, in what the company described as a “difficult business environment”. BAE lost about £3.121 billion worth of revenue, ending […]