My selection of industri news » DIVERSIFIED INVESTMENTS

Lionsgate to Lay Off More People

KV — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:12:40 +0000

Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation is currently one of, if not the most successful distributor of films and television programs in North America. The firm hit the big time in 2000 with the box office success of the film “American Psycho” and was followed by other profitable ventures such as “Affliction,” “Dogma,” Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11,” and the gory “Saw” series.
News that it intends to lay off 42 or around 8% of its 500-strong workforce is testament to the fact that even the movie industry has been hit by the financial crisis. This downsizing is the latest of a series of layoffs done by the company since last summer which totalled to 41 employees losing their jobs in 2008. Combined, these layoffs will amount to around $15 million to $20 million in savings for the company.

NASDAQ OMX Europe to Give Participants Slice in Success

KV — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 03:11:13 +0000

New York-based public company NASDAQ OMX Group, which also owns and runs several European stock exchanges in the Baltic and Nordic regions, have publicized their desire to launch a new equity investment program that will benefit their participants. NASDAQ OMX Europe has experienced considerable growth over the past few years and the company says that this program is their way of sharing their success with their participants.
The equity investment program, which has an initial period between June 1 to August 31, 2009, has been created to allow participants to acquire over a million shares of the NASDAQ OMX Groups’ common stock. Participants are considered eligible if they are able to achieve pre set market share thresholds.

Apollo Medical Holdings Appoint New Executive Vice President

KV — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:07:59 +0000

Kyle W.D. Francis has been appointed as the new Executive Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc., a principal player in the medical group management services industry. Francis has a Commerce degree, with a major in finance and accounting from his Alma Matter of McGill University. Before moving to Apollo, Francis worked for Oppenheimer & Co. and CIBC World Markets for nearly a decade. In both companies he held positions involved in investment banking and he will look to bring his experience to his new job.
At his new company, Francis will be tasked to identify potential growth opportunities as well as handle some fund raising projects, to name a few. Francis has a reputable track record and it seems that everyone in Apollo is excited to see what he can bring to the table.

CVC Capital on the Verge of Acquiring iShares from Barclays

KV — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:06:26 +0000

Barclays, one of the most profitable financial services providers in world, recently confirmed that talks are being held with CVC Capital regarding the possible sale of iShares. CVC Capital, which is also one of the largest private equity firms globally, is very interested to purchase the highly profitable Barclays Global Investors-operated exchange-traded funds or ETFs.
Barclays did not give too much information regarding the sale but only confirmed that there is a big possibility a deal will push through. There have been rumours going around that the price tag of the business could be as high as £3 billion or around $4.28 billion. This is a hefty sum that Barclays can use to raise funds so as to prevent the British government from taking a part of the company’s stake.