Mark Merson, the outgoing head of IR at Barclays, and his team have been getting some good press recently.
They got some more today, when Merson and his replacement, Stephen Jones (currently head of corporate debt capital markets at Barclays Capital) dropped in on the sales team at Panmure Gordon for 'a friendly chat', according to a note released by the broker.
'This is probably news in itself given our two years of sell recommendations on Barclays, and it reflects well on Barclays,' wrote Panmure analyst Sandy Chen.
But that’s where the good news ended for Barclays' IR team.
The note goes on to outline how Merson and Jones went back over Barclays' full-year results, released two weeks ago, to push what they view as the bank's 'attractive' outlook.
Chen couldn't agree, however. He felt the prospect of further losses in the near-term and the possibility of a government bailout took the shine off things distinctly.
The result: another sell note!
Chen concluded: 'In summary, a friendly, open and much-appreciated meeting with Barclays investor relations, but nothing that alters our views on Barclays. Maintain sell.'
Tim Human International correspondent
Bad luck boys!
Posted by: Oscar | February 27, 2009 at 11:27 AM