The Globe and Mail - Streetwise

Putting odds on First Calgary's future

awillis — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 20:26 EDT

We now all know that something is up at First Calgary Petroleum. Given the run in this Algerian energy play over the past week, some investors have known there's a deal in the works for some time. The question now is how to value this volatile stock, given the lack of guidance from the company. First - Follow link to read full post

RBC on U.S. side of cross-border takeover

awillis — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 17:07 EDT

In a cross-border tech takeover, you might expect Toronto-based RBC Dominion Securities to show up on the side of the company that's got a maple leaf on its flag. But the investment banking arm of Royal Bank of Canada has worked diligently at building its U.S. corporate finance team, and that showed - Follow link to read full post

Big dealers target small cap mining

awillis — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 14:32 EDT

Undeterred by a truly horrid couple of days for junior resource plays, Canada's bank-owned dealers continued their move down the food chain this week by stepping up coverage of junior resource plays. All six of Canada's bank-owned dealers are devoting more of their resources to resource stock, as the - Follow link to read full post

Clear Channel bond deal will set the tone for BCE

berman — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 13:45 EDT

Being a banker charged with selling buyout these days must feel a lot like being a salesman on a Chrysler or Ford lot staring out at a sea of cars built for a different[amp]nbsp;era.[amp]nbsp;Customers don't really want the outmoded merchandise you've got, and no matter how much free gas and cash back - Follow link to read full post

New Caisse CEO sends all the right signals

awillis — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 12:40 EDT

In a move that sends all the right signals to the capital markets, the Caisse de d?p?t et placement du Qu?bec has reached inside its own ranks for a new leader. After months of speculation that Quebec's Liberal government would appoint an outsider with political ties and interventionist instincts to - Follow link to read full post

European banks face nasty financing terms

awillis — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 09:49 EDT

Investors are demanding ever-increasing premiums to refinance troubled banks. European investors got a shock late Thursday when Natixis, France's fourth largest bank, was forced to price its 3.7-billion euro ($5.4-billion Canadian) rights issue at 2.25 euros per share. That was a far larger-than-expected - Follow link to read full post

Genuity shows small-cap prowess

awillis — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 09:33 EDT

Genuity Capital Markets continues to show a deft touch in small-cap markets, advising Friday on the $35-million sale of laser maker Virtek Vision International to Gerber Scientific. Employee-owned Genuity is predominantly staffed by veterans of bank-owned firms, who spent the early part of their careers - Follow link to read full post

Bill Gross meets TSX Venture stocks

awillis — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 09:09 EDT

Much of what happens in the market sounds antiseptic, and simple, when it's described to outsiders. A hedge fund losses money, faces redemptions, and is unwound. There's an antiseptic tone to the word “unwound.” It sounds like a sterile, painless way of shutting down a fund. The reality - Follow link to read full post

Davies lawyer scores ABA first

awillis — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 16:02 EDT

Toronto lawyer Carol Hansell has written a book on Canadian corporate governance. Now the Davies Ward Phillips [amp]amp; Vineberg partner will help write the book on U.S. business standards by becoming the first non-American lawyer to head the corporate governance committee of the American Bar Association - Follow link to read full post

Alpha heads into weekend testing as rumours swirl

berman — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 13:42 EDT

Alpha Trading Systems is heading into another weekend of testing before its late-September launch as speculation swirls that the challenger to TMX Group Inc. may never make it to the finish line. The talk of Alpha's demise has been fueled by two facts, a push by TMX Group to cut more deals with the - Follow link to read full post