Operating losses at the Irish arm of international brokerage firm, Cantor Fitzgerald last year fell 67% to €408,043.

The Dublin-based stockbroking firm NCB has been renamed as Investec following its acquisition one year ago.

Competition from international firms will ensure that the Irish financial services sector consolidates even further, according to Brian Weber, head of the Irish operations for the international private client business, Quilter.

Cantor Fitzgerald has been considering a stockbroking acquisition here since 2010 and now, having bought Dolmen Securities, the US firm has ambitious plans to jump start the corporate bond market in Ireland, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

The US brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald has taken over the Dublin-based stockbroking firm Dolmen for an undisclosed fee.

Up to 440 jobs are to be created in the health, finance, and technology sectors thanks to announcements by three companies yesterday.

Dolmen Stockbrokers made a pre-tax loss of just under €2.5m in 2010, accounts just lodged with the Companies Office show, but the firm expects its 2011 accounts to show a return to profitability.

The Irish Stock Exchange, heavily influenced by outside forces like most elements of our economy, has seen some hard times of late. However, the stock exchange could become an integral part of our recovery, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

A COUPLE and their company have sued Dolmen Stockbrokers for more than €1 million losses allegedly incurred through unauthorised use of the plaintiffs’ securities trading accounts to enter into transactions for Dolmen’s own benefit.

HOUSE prices have drop by almost 20% in the last year and are staying on the market for an average of more than seven months compared with six weeks during the boom.

IRISH Life & Permanent has withdrawn plans to buy Dolmen Securities Ltd’s stockbroking business, two sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Irish Life and Dolmen both declined to comment.

INSURANCE and banking group Irish Life & Permanent is in talks to buy Dolmen Securities’ stockbroking business, aiming to beef up its position in the wealth management market, the Sunday Times reported.

TWO leading stockbroking firms expect Irish equities to perform much better in 2008 after a poor 2007 left the Irish market down 27%.

BANK of Ireland’s share price shot up by 3.7% in Dublin yesterday, an increase of 60 cents, as rumours gripped the markets that British bank, HBOS (Halifax Bank of Scotland) is about to bid for the country’s second-largest bank.

SHAREHOLDERS gather in Dublin tomorrow for the annual general meeting of Greencore Plc at a time when the group is at a crossroads.

A TAKEOVER premium is factored into the AIB Bank share price but not Bank of Ireland or Irish Life and Permanent, according to a leading banking analyst.

FINANCIAL services provider IFG Group’s shares are rated a buy by stockbrokers Dolmen and NCB in advance of the company’s 2004 interim results next Monday.

RYANAIR’S 12-month share price target has been raised to €7 by Dolmen Securities.

Stockbroker Dolmen Securities has urged investors to sell Eircom shares.

Electronic learning company ThirdForce has appointed Dolmen Securities as its nominated adviser.

A BIOTECH company based in UCD’s business incubator centre, NovaUCD, has secured €650,000 in venture capital funding.

MEMBERS of an Oireachtas committee have criticised insurance brokers who reduced quotes only after clients informed them they had found a cheaper price elsewhere.

FBD is set to report a massive 257% increase in pre-tax profits tomorrow delivering €90 million to the bottom line compared to just €25.2m a year earlier.

The ISEQ in Dublin surrendered gains from an early rally. Elan shares were sold off following a cautious broker note.

AN improvement in the sales of life assurance products in 2004 opens the way for significant improvement in the Irish Life and Permanent share price, stockbrokers Dolmen Securities believe.

SHARES in Irish Independent owners Independent News & Media (IN&M) were downgraded yesterday to a hold from a buy by Dolmen Securities as the shares hit a year high price of €2.08.

BARLO chief executive Tony Mullins will have to raise his initial 53 million takeover offer for the company by at least 30% — E17.6m — according to Dolmen Securities.

ANGLO Irish Bank is not ripe for a takeover according to leading analysts at stockbrokers Goodbody and Dolmen.

Dolmen Butler Briscoe has acquired the stock-broking business of its smaller competitor BCP. The re-named company, Dolmen Stockbrokers, will expand to a staff of around 70 people in three offices in Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

DOLMEN Butler Briscoe has bought the broking arm of BCP Stockbrokers in another example of consolidation in the industry.

Stockbroker Dolmen Butler Briscoe is to acquire the stockbroking division of rival BCP subject to regulatory approval.

BOOKMAKERS Paddy Power came a cropper at the Grand National and Cheltenham with a winning streak by punters, slashing a full €4 million off expected operating profits for the first six months of the year.

PFIZER INC, the world’s largest drugmaker’s €53.7bn takeover of Pharmacia Corp is not expected to result in any jobs losses at the enlarged company’s Irish production plants employing close to 1,500 people.

INVESTORS should seize the opportunity of the 3.5% drop in Paddy Power’s share price to buy, after a profit warning by British rival Stanley Leisure, according to stockbrokers Dolmen Securities.

THE aggressive move by Bank of Scotland, Ireland (BOSI) for dominance of the Irish business banking market is expected to force the AIB and Bank of Ireland to pay more interest on current accounts, according to some Irish brokers.

ANGLO Irish Bank shares have been rated a buy by stockbrokers Dolmen Securities in advance of the bank’s publication of results for the six months to the end of March Anglo was Dolmen analyst Stuart Draper’s banking pick of 2002 and he expects the good news to continue.

BUY Irish Life and Permanent shares to get a 3.8% dividend in May, Dolmen Stockbrokers advised clients yesterday.

AIB SHAREHOLDERS should see dividends increase by 12% when the company announces its results for the year ending December 31 2002, stockbrokers Dolmen Securities predict.

REVENUES at bookmakers Paddy Power are expect to hit 639.5 million when the company releases full-year figures for 2002 later this month.

SHARES in Jurys Doyle are undervalued, according to Dolmen Securities who believe there is a 23% upside in the shares over the next 12 months.

IMPRESSED by McInerney Holdings latest trading forecast, Dolmen Securities have re-iterated their buy recommendation on the share predicting a 33% upside for the stock over the coming year.

ELAN and Biogen share prices rose immediately yesterday on the back of positive results in trials of their Antegren drug in patients with multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease.