Barclays' finance director, Chris Lucas, did little to boost sentiment towards the lender after saying last week that the bank had experienced soft investment banking markets in May and June.
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In particular, Mr Lucas said that Barclays had seen lower levels of capital markets and M&A activity and that conditions at the Spanish corporate operation had worsened - that reflected a continued slide in property valuations there. Still, management's guidance for the total impairment charge in 2010 remains at between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of 2009's level.
