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The article reports on the initial public offering (IPO) of travel-reservations company Travelport of about 50% to 60% of its existing share capital to raise an estimate of two billion U.S. dollars in the London Stock Exchange in England.

The article reports on the addition of London Gatwick airport in England to the British airport portfolio of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) on October 21, 2009. The investment fund has emerged as a major player in the said market but the deal prevents it from acquiring other airports in the city. Also noted is the plan of the fund to bid for one of the airports of rival BAA Ltd. in Scotland. It explains why GIP is unlikely to succeed in a bid for London Stansted.

The article on the government move in Great Britain to weaken airport-financing proposals. New initiatives that aim to safeguard airport operations against disruption if airport operators experience financial difficulties are announced by the Department of Transport. A plan that would have increased the cost of financing airport development projects, such as the renovation of terminals and the possible establishment of a third runway at Heathrow Airport in London, England, has been scrapped by the initiatives.

The article reports on the sponsorship deal signed by Standard Chartered PLC the Liverpool Football Club in a bid to raise its profile with potential customers in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Under the terms of the four-year sponsoshirp deal, the bank's name and logo will be featured on Liverpool players' jerseys and Standard Chartered advertising will appear in Liverpool's Anfield stadium. The club was able to post a record revenue of 162 million British pounds as of July 2008.

The article reports a decline in the exodus of client money as of July 10, 2009, according to the hedge fund firm Man Group PLC. The trend is considered a sign of stabilizing investor sentiment across the industry. It was reported by the London, England-based company that assets under management fell to 46.8 billion dollars as of June 30. The company's sales to private investors rose to 3.4 billion dollars in the three months through June.

The article reports on the plan of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in England to collaborate with Lehman Brothers Holdings to create a pan-European trading service specializing in dark pools, electronic networks that match buyers and sellers anonymously. The LSE shares declined by 13% following its announcement in June 2008. Such networks allow traders to move large amounts of stock without their activities being seen in the open market. The LSE-Lehman system is anticipated to face close competition from existing and planned dark-pool systems.

The article reports on the increase in assets and profit of the public hedge fund Man Group PLC based in London, England. The company's assets surged to $78.5 billion during March to April 2008. Man Group announced that its deputy chairman and former chief executive Stanley Fink would resign. The company did not see increase in the level of investor withdrawals.

The article reports that hedge funds in Lodon, England may see a drop in the amount of money they manage in 2008. It cites RAB Capital, a hedge fund operator, which announced to its shareholders that redemptions and poor performance have led to a 12% drop in assets since December 2007 to $6.34 billion. London's hedge fund managers set aside cash, reducing their use of borrowed funds in order to meet redemptions. According to RAB, earnings are expected to be lower in the first half of 2008 from the $30.4 million net profit made in 2007.

The author comments on the failure of U.S. money-management firm BlackRock to make the impression it hoped for with its first stock offering known as the BlackRock Absolute Return Strategies fund of hedge funds on the London Stock Exchange in England in April 2008. The fund raised $275 million of the expected $500 million. According to the firm, the debut showed solid support for the fund in an uncertain investment climate. Some prospective investors say they were discouraged by the decision of BlackRock not to disclose the names of its top holdings.

The article reports on the decision of an affiliate of London, England-based hedge fund group Cheyne Capital Management (UK) LLP to begin selling battered assets to repay its debts. Report says that the company's move will add to a glut of U.S. residential-mortgage-backed securities being dumped on the market by a range of debt owners amid spiraling home-loan defaults by U.S. borrowers with shaky credit. The decision by the company is also a blow to Cheyne Capital, one of Europe's largest managers of hedge funds with $12 billion under management.

The article reports on the plan to unwind by the structured investment vehicle Cheyne Finance managed by London, England-based Cheyne Capital Management (U.K.) LLP following a decline in the value of its portfolio of real estate-related securities. Cheyne Finance failed to meet tests that measure the value of its investment portfolio against its debt obligation according to Standard & Poor's Corp. The vehicle was established in 2005 to issue about $20 billion in commercial paper and notes.

The article reports that stock market declines have affected the listing of Brevan Howard Asset Management LLP's BH Macro Ltd. hedge fund investment vehicle in England.

The article reports on the decision of Northern Rock PLC to sell its mortgage portfolio to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. to help pay its debt to the Bank of England. The portfolio of home-equity release mortgages was sold for €2.25 million with assets value of €2.2 billion. The company's shares rose by two pence to 87.25 pence in London, England. It notes that the company had to ask for emergency funds from the bank due to the credit crunch.

The article reports that Richmond Capital LLP of London, England lost about half of its funds in January 2008 alone, according to a group of investors. Richmond, founded by Luca Bechis, is classified as belonging to the set of biggest losers. It is noted that the company adheres to the so-called long-short strategy which makes Richmond invests in a portfolio stocks alongside its bet that other shares will lose certain market value and had a particularly difficult situation on hedge funds in January 2008.