Credit Suisse Fees Are Likely to Fall Most as LBO Market Slows, S&P Says

(Bloomberg) -- Investment banking fees are likely to
fall or stop growing as buyout firms purchase fewer companies,
and Credit Suisse Group would probably be the most affected
Standard & Poor's said in a report published today.

Group revenue at Switzerland's second-largest bank could
fall by 3.8 percent were leveraged buyout fees to fall by half,
S&P said. Earnings at Credit Suisse and UBS AG could plunge up to
19 percent as buyouts slow, Deutsche Bank AG analyst Matt Spick
said on July 26.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Credit Suisse Fees to Fall the Most as LBOs Slow, Standard & Poor's Says

(Bloomberg) -- Investment banking fees are likely to
fall or stop growing as buyout firms purchase fewer companies,
and Credit Suisse Group would probably be the most affected
Standard & Poor's said in a report published today.

Group revenue at Switzerland's second-largest bank could
fall by 3.8 percent were leveraged buyout fees to fall by half,
S&P said. Earnings at Credit Suisse and UBS AG could plunge up to
19 percent as buyouts slow, Deutsche Bank AG analyst Matt Spick
said on July 26.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

U.K. FTSE 100 Index Increases, Led by Friends Provident on Merger Talks

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks rallied, led by Friends
Provident Plc after Resolution Plc said it is in ``advanced''
merger talks with the insurer. Prudential Plc and Legal & General
Group Plc rose after UBS AG recommended investors buy the shares.

Antofagasta Plc and Anglo American Plc paced gains in mining
companies. Barclays Plc rose after the bank increased its offer
for ABN Amro Holding NV.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

U.K. Stocks Rebound, Paced by Prudential, Resolution; Barclays Advances

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks climbed, rebounding from
last week's decline, led by Friends Provident Plc after Resolution
Plc said its in ``advanced'' talks to merge with the insurer.

Prudential Plc and Legal & General Group Plc paced the gains
after UBS AG recommended investors buy the shares. Barclays Plc
rose after the bank increased its offer for ABN Amro Holding NV.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Lead Falls From Record in London as Gains Judged Overdone; Tin Rises

(Bloomberg) -- Lead fell in London after investors
judged that gains that took the metal to a record for a sixth
consecutive session were overdone. Nickel rose and tin climbed
the most in more than two months.

The gains in lead had been ``way too over-extended'' and
the metal was poised to fall, Robin Bhar, an analyst with UBS AG
in London, said today in a report. ``Despite these supply
concerns there is no actual shortage of metal in the physical
markets.''


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

European Bank Stocks Advance, Led By ABN Amro; Saipem, Technip Decline

(Bloomberg) -- European bank stocks rose, led by ABN
Amro Holding NV after Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc sweetened
its 71.1 billion-euro ($98.1 billion) offer for the Dutch lender.

ABN Amro jumped the most in three months. Oil-services
companies paced declines in energy shares after UBS AG cut its
recommendations on Saipem SpA and Technip SA following their
``strong performance.'' BT Group Plc, the U.K.'s largest phone
company, and drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc climbed after
brokerages lifted their recommendations on the shares.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

European Bank Stocks Advance, Paed by ABN Amro; Saipem, Technip Decline

(Bloomberg) -- European bank stocks rose, led by ABN
Amro Holding NV after Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc sweetened
its 71.1 billion-euro ($98.1 billion) offer for the Dutch lender.

ABN Amro jumped the most in three months. Oil-services
companies paced declines in energy shares after UBS AG cut its
recommendations on Saipem SpA and Technip SA following their
``strong performance.'' BT Group Plc, the U.K.'s largest phone
company, and drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc advanced after
brokerages lifted their recommendations on the shares.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Pound Rally Fools Biggest Traders as Rising Bond Yields Lure Kokusai, Axa

(Bloomberg) -- Investors who listened to the world's
three biggest currency traders and bet against the pound this
year couldn't have been more wrong.

Instead of falling, the U.K. currency has risen 3.8 percent
to a 26-year high of $2.0367. Strategists at Frankfurt-based
Deutsche Bank AG, UBS AG in Zurich and Citigroup Inc. of New York
predicted in December it would trade at $1.96 or lower this year.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Israeli Bonds Rise for Fifth Day on Confidence That Shekel Will Strengthen

(Bloomberg) -- Israel's benchmark Shahar bond rose
for a fifth day as investors expressed confidence that the shekel
will strengthen against the dollar.

The Israeli currency reached a nine-year high against the
dollar in mid-May and has since slid 8 percent. It will probably
maintain its strength now or rise as the dollar weakens further
in international markets, UBS AG said.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

European Stocks Decline on Ifo Report; BHP Billiton, Julius Baer Slide

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks dropped for a second
day after German business confidence fell more than economists
forecast in June, adding to signs that growth in Europe's largest
economy may slow.

BHP Billiton Ltd. led mining shares lower on concern China
will raise interest rates to cool the economy. Julius Baer
Holding AG declined the most in a year after UBS AG sold part of
its stake in the Swiss Bank, thwarting takeover speculation.
Deutsche Bank AG and Barclays Plc led a decline by banks on
concern that losses in the U.S. mortgage market may grow.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

European Stocks Decline on Ifo Report; Julius Baer, Maersk Lead Drop

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks dropped for a second
day after German business confidence fell more than economists
forecast in June, adding to signs that growth in Europe's largest
economy is slowing.

Julius Baer Holding AG fell after UBS AG sold part of its
stake in the Swiss Bank. A.P. Moeller-Maersk declined after the
company named a new chief executive officer. Pearson Plc rose after
the U.K. publisher abandoned a possible bid for Dow Jones & Co.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Housewives Outmaneuver UBS, Deutsche Bank as Yen Trading Captivates Japan

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese businessmen, housewives and
pensioners betting against the yen in their spare time are
wrecking the forecasts of the world's biggest currency traders.

The yen has slumped 4.6 percent to a 4 1/2-year low against
the dollar this quarter, making it the worst performer among 72
major currencies and confounding predictions by strategists at
Deutsche Bank AG and UBS AG for gains of about 1 percent.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News