Hints and tips:
...“It’s the right thing to do,” says Marc Thiele, an analyst at Mediobanca. “But in retrospect, they could have been more aggressive during the financial crisis....
...Mr Thiele said it was possible that Zurich could reinvest the money in its existing activities, or look for acquisition targets....
...Marc Thiele, an analyst at Mediobanca, said that the exclusion of realised gains and losses was positive, as their inclusion had distorted the benchmark....
...Mr Thiele said that the progress had been faster than expected. “When they launched their plan at the end of 2012, they said that the gains would be backloaded....
...Marc Thiele, an analyst at Mediobanca, said the results presented a mixed picture....
...Mr Thiele said that while the asset sales flattered the company’s results for 2012, they could lead to lower earnings....
...“The result of operations excluding exceptional was in line with what I was expecting, though I was at the top end of the analysts’ range,” said Marc Thiele, an analyst at Mediobanca....
...Mr Thiele said the claims were unlikely to have a significant impact on the Swiss group’s dividend....
...Nobody can seriously imagine scenarios like these, which are reminiscent of a James Bond movie with Goldfinger playing the role of a US Fed accounting clerk.” Perhaps not....
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