Author Archive: Jeremy Parkinson

Former Goldman director will not testify in ongoing insider trading trial

Former Goldman director will not testify in ongoing insider trading trial

In an unexpected reversal of course, Rajat Gupta, the former Goldman Sachs director accused of insider trading, will not testify in his trial according to a letter to the presiding judge. The letter is in direct contradiction to a statement made on Friday afternoon by Gary Naftalis, Gupta’s lawyer, in which he said it would […]
Uncertainty surrounds India’s GAAR implementation

Uncertainty surrounds India’s GAAR implementation

The Indian government decided to defer implementing GAAR for another year after a visit from the US Treasury Secretary in April. General Anti-Avoidance Rules were established to fight tax avoidance by enforcing the country’s tax regulations. The GAAR regulations were part of the proposed Direct Tax Code 2010 to deter sophisticated means of ducking income […]
Spain downgraded as banks face €112bn hit

Spain downgraded as banks face €112bn hit

Fitch sliced its rating on government debt three notches from A to BBB, barely above junk status, blaming the enormous projected cost of cleaning up the country’s troubled banking sector, the deep recession and soaring national debt. The downgrade came after it emerged European officials were weighing up a bailout programme for Spain that would […]
Facebook investors eat humble pie

Facebook investors eat humble pie

The social media giant was plagued with technical problems on its first day of trading, marring it’s highly anticipated stock offering last month. Computer glitches at the Nasdaq delayed the opening of trading by half an hour and kept some investors from buying shares in the morning, selling them later in the day, or even […]
Diageo raises toast to Brazil

Diageo raises toast to Brazil

Drinks group Diageo is toasting its success in the Brazilian market through the acquisition of spirit brand Ypióca for $469m. The UK-based company who make Guinness, Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky and Smirnoff vodka has agreed to buy the brand of cachaça from the family-owned Ypióca Agro-industrial group, as it continues to expand in emerging markets. […]
Dewey & LeBoeuf files biggest Chapter 11 in US history

Dewey & LeBoeuf files biggest Chapter 11 in US history

New York-based corporate law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf has filed for bankruptcy protection in what is widely perceived to be the largest law firm collapse in US history. The international firm, which at one stage employed close to 1,300 lawyers in 12 countries, announced it has filed for Chapter 11 and is seeking for approval […]
Supreme Court rules Finance Act 2007 in breach of EU law

Supreme Court rules Finance Act 2007 in breach of EU law

The US Supreme Court late on Wednesday handed down a long awaited judgement which upheld the appellants’ claim in the FII group Litigation v HM Revenue & Customs. The judge ruled that a section of the Finance Act 2007 has been in breach of EU law. The court specifically found that the Treasury breached European […]
Alibaba to buy back half of Yahoo stake

Alibaba to buy back half of Yahoo stake

China’s biggest e-commerce provider, Alibaba Group Holdings, has come to a $7.1bn agreement after years of negotiations with Yahoo! to buy back half the 40 percent share owned by the American internet giant, the companies have announced. As part of the agreement, Yahoo! will sell half its stake for an estimated $6.3bn in cash and […]
Dreyfus set to debut capital markets

Dreyfus set to debut capital markets

Global commodities giant Louis Dreyfus announced late Sunday it is planning to issue bonds for the first time in its 160-year history, according to its CEO Serge Schoen. The firm is intending to boost investments by around 40 percent when weighed against the volume of ventures made between 2006 and 2011. The privately held food […]
China sees off sea claims with independent deep water drilling

China sees off sea claims with independent deep water drilling

China National Offshore Oil Corp (Cnooc), China’s biggest offshore oil producer, late on Wednesday commenced its first unaided deepwater exploration in the South China Sea. Cnooc’s independent deep water oil drilling marks the beginning of a new era, as it typically relied on foreign partnerships such as the one established with Canadian Husky Energy. The […]