today's figures could not be described as exciting, yet the shares are now +20 at 650 after a low of 615 ..... back in april, aviva made an approach but terms could not be agreed ..... under SE rules, that meant no new approach could be made for 6 months (i assume that only applied to aviva) ...... for all that, if PRU's sp continues to thrive, why question?

Yes a busy week with updates from Aviva, L&G, Old Mut and RSA. RSA and Aviva on Thursday.

Blackrock < 5%

PRUDENTIAL PLC STATEMENT

Prudential notes recent press speculation in relation to the Group.

Prudential regularly reviews its range of options to maximise the strategic flexibility of the Group. This includes consideration of optimising the Group's domicile, including as a possible response to an adverse outcome on Solvency II.

There continues to be uncertainty in relation to the implementation of Solvency II and implications for the Group's businesses. Clarity on this issue is not expected in the near term.

FT:
Prudential, one of the UK’s oldest insurers, is considering plans to uproot its headquarters from London to Hong Kong amid concerns about the impact of new European capital adequacy regulations.
People familiar with the situation say a possible shift out of London is being weighed up by the group, which has £349.5bn of assets under management.

Tidjane Thiam, chief executive of Prudential, has recently raised concerns about the “unintended consequences” of Solvency II regulations. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Mr Thiam warned that if “certain versions” of Solvency II insurance rules, due to come into force in 2013, were implemented, investing in corporate bonds, infrastructure and some bank assets would be “very difficult”.

Morgan Stanley note:
What’s driving this? Solvency 2 has an extra-territorial aspect in that it applies to an EU-domiciled insurers’ global operations unless overseas units are deemed to operate in “equivalent” regimes. If the regime is not deemed to be technically “equivalent” to Solvency 2, then the insurer will potentially be required to hold EU levels of capital for that foreign unit. This is especially pertinent for the US – where we believe Solvency 2 capital requirements are likely to be higher than local ones (especially for fixed annuities) and EU players have significant operations. Furthermore, the US regime is not likely to meet equivalence requirements in the short to medium term.
What’s likely to happen? Our base case remains that the US will be “deemed” equivalent for Solvency 2 – at least for an initial time period. Given the importance of the US life market to EU insurers, we doubt that the European Commission will ultimately want to disadvantage domestic insurers.
Would it make sense for Pru to move its HQ to Hong Kong? A change of domicile would not impact the UK business – which would come under the scope of Solvency 2 in any event, however it would mean that the US business would not come under the scope of S2.
In our view, merely moving Pru’s HQ to Hong Kong would not impact the rating of the stock. We believe in order to materially narrow the rating gap of its Asia business with AIA, a change in corporate structure would be required – not just a change in legal domicile. We believe “domestic” Asia investors have limited appetite for the US and UK operations of the Pru.

Nomura has reiterated its reduce rating and 700p target price for insurance giant Prudential ahead of the group's full-year results next Tuesday.

Nomura believes that Pru's US business is likely to "plateau" due to the companies intention to moderate its US growth ("since it was becoming too large a part of the group") and its demanding comparatives over the past three years.

Full Year Results.

..Prudential to name Paul Manduca as new chairman

By James Quinn | Telegraph – 17 minutes ago
.

......
Prudential (LSE: PRU.L - news) is to name Paul Manduca as its new chairman following a five-month search to replace the departing incumbent, Harvey McGrath.

Mr Manduca, the former chief executive of Rothschild Asset Management, has been chosen by the FTSE 100 (Euronext: VFTSE.NX - news) insurer’s board after a lengthy search of internal and external candidates.

It is understood that in recent days the board has passed his name to the Financial Services Authority, which is in the process of vetting his credentials and past experience.

As the potential chairman of the high-profile and complex insurer, not to mention the head of one of the UK’s largest fund managers in Prudential’s M&G division, the regulator must be certain that Mr Manduca has the appropriate skills to lead the board before sanctioning the appointment.

Subject to the FSA’s approval, Mr Manduca will take over from Mr McGrath at some point over the summer, allowing for what is expected to be a small handover period. It is expected an announcement on Mr Manduca’s appointment, subject to regulatory clearance, could be made as early as this week.

At the same time, it is thought Mr Manduca will step down as chairman of Aon UK, the British arm of the global insurance broker.

Mr Manduca’s pending appointment may be seen as controversial by some, given that he, as Prudential’s senior independent director, has been stewarding the search process.

Prudential sources indicated that he initially resisted overtures from other board members for him to throw his hat into the ring, despite his considerable fund management and public company experience.

In recent weeks, it was reported that Sir Nigel Rudd, chairman of Invensys (LSE: ISYS.L - news) , and Glen Moreno, chairman of Pearson (EUREX: PSOF.EX - news) , were the two leading front-runners for the Prudential post, but it emerged last week that neither man was in the running. One source said that the external search had been over for more than a week.

Among the internal candidates, according to one board member spoken to who asked to remain anonymous, Mr Manduca was always thought to be the leading contender, despite his initial resistance.

The only other board member who was seen as a possible candidate was Sir Howard Davies, the former chairman of the FSA. One source indicated the dynamic between Sir Howard and the Prudential’s chief executive, Tidjane Thiam, was not ideal, with suggestions Sir Howard would have wanted to take on more of an executive chairman role.

Both Mr Manduca and Sir Howard joined Prudential in October 2010, bolstering its board following the backlash which came after its botched $35.5bn (£22.4bn) bid for Asian insurer AIA. Mr McGrath took the rap for the collapse of the AIA deal, with more than 26pc of shareholders choosing to either vote against or abstain in the vote for his re-election at the 2011 annual meeting. Mr McGrath announced his decision to stand down in December 2011.

Mr Manduca’s in-tray will include reconnecting with investors after 30.3pc of shareholders last week voted against the group’s pay report and working with Mr Thiam on the difficult issue of where Prudential moves regulatory domicile outside the UK.

Spokesmen for both Prudential and the FSA declined to comment

Half Year 2012 - Business Review

ASIA CONTINUES TO DRIVE PROFITABLE GROWTH, WITH STRONG CASH REMITTANCES FROM ALL businesses

IFRS1:

· Operating profit of £1,162 million, up 13 per cent
· Asia life insurance business operating profit2 of £409 million, up 26 per cent
· Total profit before tax3 of £1,259 million, up 13 per cent
· Shareholders' funds of £9.3 billion, up 8 per cent4

New Business:

· EEV new business profit of £1,141 million, up 7 per cent
· Asia EEV new business profit of £547 million, up 18 per cent

Embedded Value:

· Operating profit of £2,109 million, down 2 per cent, reflecting low-interest rate environment
· Asia life insurance business operating profit2 of £872 million, up 13 per cent
· Shareholders' funds of £20.6 billion, up 5 per cent4, equivalent to 806 pence per share

Capital & Dividend:

· Strong underlying free surplus generation of £1.4 billion (before investment in new business), unchanged from last year
· Net remittances from business operations up 5 per cent to £726 million
· Asia net cash remittance of £126 million, up 20 per cent
· Insurance Groups Directive (IGD) capital surplus estimated at £4.2 billion; solvency requirements covered 2.7 times
· 2012 half year dividend increased by 5.7 per cent to 8.4 pence per share

Shares in FSTE 100 life insurer Prudential are pushing against their high point again, after the price ended on 859p on Friday. That's not far below October's 52-week high of 870p, and with the price having been on a steady climb since June, I wouldn't bet against that peak being surpassed pretty soon.

With forecasts strong, there could well be a fair bit more to come. Analysts put the shares on a full-year price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 12.5, falling to 11 next year, and there's a dividend in excess of 3% expected.

Business review going down well!

IFRS1:
· Operating profit of £2,533 million, up 25 per cent
· Asia operating profit2 of £988 million, up 26 per cent
· Total profit before tax3 of £2,810 million, up 54 per cent
· Shareholders' funds of £10.4 billion, up 21 per cent

New Business:
· EEV new business profit of £2,452 million, up 14 per cent
· Asia EEV new business profit of £1,266 million, up 18 per cent

Embedded Value:
· Operating profit of £4,321 million, up 9 per cent
· Asia life insurance business operating profit of £1,960 million, up 11 per cent
· Shareholders' funds of £22.4 billion, up 14 per cent, equivalent to 878 pence per share

Capital & Dividend:
· Underlying free surplus generation of £2.7 billion (before investment in new business), up 6 per cent from 2011
· Net remittances from business operations up 9 per cent to £1,200 million
· Asia net cash remittance of £341 million4, up 66 per cent, and for the first time, the largest contributor of cash to the Group
· Insurance Groups Directive (IGD) capital surplus estimated at £5.1 billion5; solvency requirements covered 3 times
· 2012 full year dividend increased by 15.9 per cent to 29.19 pence per share

Flying again.

FSA Final Notices

Prudential plc and its wholly owned subsidiary The Prudential Assurance Company Limited have agreed to settle with the Financial Services Authority over issues relating to the attempt to acquire AIA, the Asian subsidiary of AIG, in early 2010. The companies have agreed to pay fines totalling GBP30 million, in respect of a decision by the FSA that it and the UKLA should have been informed earlier about Prudential's contemplation of the potential transaction. The Group Chief Executive, Tidjane Thiam, has also agreed to be censured in respect of a decision by the FSA that it should have been informed earlier.

The FSA has confirmed the following in a statement accompanying the Final Notices published today:

"The investigation was into past events and does not concern the current conduct of the management of the Prudential Group. The FSA accepts that Prudential did consider their obligations in forming their assessment in respect of informing the regulator. Therefore, although the FSA considers that the circumstances of these breaches are serious, the FSA does not consider they were reckless or intentional."

Paul Manduca, the Chairman of Prudential PLC, said: "The Board has decided to settle this matter in the best interests of the Group and all its stakeholders. We wish to draw a line under the matter, and to ensure our constructive relationship with our regulators remains good. Tidjane acted at all times in the interests of the Company and with the full knowledge and authority of the Board. The Board wishes to express its satisfaction that all parties have agreed to this settlement."

"Prudential works hard to maintain close and positive relationships with its regulators and the Group's relationship with the FSA continues to be good. The FSA has determined that it should have been informed earlier about the fact we were contemplating the AIA transaction and we regret, with hindsight, not so doing."

"Over the past three years, our successful business strategy, led by Tidjane, and fully supported by the Board, has delivered excellent results for customers, shareholders and employees. This was most recently demonstrated by our strong annual results for 2012."

JACKIE HUNT APPOINTED AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, PRUDENTIAL UK AND EUROPE

Prudential plc ("Prudential") announces the appointment of Jackie Hunt as Chief Executive, Prudential UK and Europe and to the Board of Prudential plc. Jackie will succeed Rob Devey, who will leave the Group at the end of October 2013 to pursue new opportunities.

Jackie will join Prudential from Standard Life plc where she is Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Standard Life in 2009, Jackie held a number of senior leadership roles within the UK insurance industry, first at Royal & Sun Alliance and then at Aviva.

Panmure Gordon Buy 1,138.50 1,160.00 1,160.00 Reiterates

Interims out today http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4649009

Interims out today.

PRUDENTIAL PLC 2014 HALF YEAR RESULTS

Group Performance Highlights (on constant exchange rate basis)
· IFRS operating profit of £1,521 million, up 17 per cent1
· EEV new business profit2 of £1,015 million, up 24 per cent1
· Underlying free surplus generation3 (after investment in new business) of £1,219 million, up 13 per cent1
· Net cash remittances from business units up 15 per cent to £974 million

Business Units Performance Highlights (on constant exchange rate basis)
· Asia life and asset management IFRS operating profit of £525 million, up 19 per cent1
· Jackson life IFRS operating profit of £686 million, up 28 per cent1
· UK life IFRS operating profit of £374 million, up 10 per cent
· M&G IFRS operating profit of £227 million, up 11 per cent

Capital & Dividend:
· IFRS shareholders' funds of £10.6 billion, up 9 per cent4
· EEV shareholders' funds of £25.9 billion, up 4 per cent4, equivalent to 1,009 pence per share
· Insurance Groups Directive (IGD) capital surplus5 estimated at £4.1 billion; solvency requirements covered 2.3 times
· 2014 interim dividend increased by 15 per cent to 11.19 pence per share

The Share Centre has given Prudential a 'buy' rating, saying that the insurer is "attractive for investors" after another set of strong results on Tuesday.

"We continue to recommend Prudential as a 'buy' for investors looking for a positive investment idea that spans the US, Asia and the UK. The Asian growth story continues to remain highly attractive along with strong UK and US operations."

Bullish piece.....

http://citywire.co.uk/money/the-expert-view-ladbrokes-ao-world-and-prudential/a767110#i=4