AI and Big Data: Can they guide investors through the pandemic? September 1, 2020 | City Talk The defeat of the top human Go player by the AlphaGo artificial intelligence (AI) in 2017 revealed to the public the world of possibilities that AI scientists had been quietly exploring for years. Driverless cars, AI doctors, and robo-advisers, among other innovations, all seemed within reach. Amid such promise and possibility, Roy Amara’s famous law was [...]
Why digital infrastructure could emerge stronger from Covid-19 August 28, 2020 | City Talk The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to modernise digital infrastructure networks. We expect that this will create new investment opportunities. Surging online activity Whether we like it or not, the Covid-19 pandemic has cemented our addiction to fast and reliable internet access. While speaking to colleagues remotely, food shopping online or monitoring our ‘smart [...]
CVC and Advent team up in €1.3bn bid for Italy’s Serie A August 26, 2020 Private equity firms CVC Capital Partners and Advent International have reportedly joined forces in a €1.3bn (£1.17bn) offer for a minority stake in Italy’s Serie A football league. Last month Lega Serie A, the governing body of the league, placed a cap of 15 per cent on any potential private equity investment. CVC and Advent [...]
What does value investing have in common with Forrest Gump? August 26, 2020 | City Talk Gump is rewarded for his determination and resilience in the face of vicious storms in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump”. We believe returns could be bountiful for the genuinely long-term and patient value investor too. When I look at a chart like this, I think one of two things. Either it’s different this time for [...]
The inflation divide: what should investors be doing? August 25, 2020 Currently, inflation is more of an annoyance than the economic tyrant of old. Given the unprecedented stimulus that the global economy has received since the coronavirus crisis hit, the debate is whether these “whatever it takes” financial packages will stoke a sustained period of rising prices. Inflation or deflation? The inflation debate is polarising opinion [...]
How working flexibly can give investors an edge August 24, 2020 | City Talk I’ve always said that the question of how you create a high performing investment culture is inextricably linked with the individuals involved and how they interact with each other. This is a people business and this view has been at the heart of how we approach investment matters at Schroders. As a leader of an [...]
Shuttered Woodford fund to pay out £183m to investors next week August 20, 2020 Investors trapped in the failed Woodford Equity Income will receive a £183m payout next week, following the sale of a number of assets. Link Fund Solutions agreed a £224m deal to sell 18 healthcare stocks, representing around half the remaining fund’s assets in June to Acacia Research. The firm then offloaded the bargain stocks just [...]
Mind the gap? Financing scale-ups takes sharper focus August 19, 2020 | City Talk ‘There is a risk… of a lost generation of innovative businesses unable to access the right capital to scale and go global’: so warns an analysis published this month entitled The Future of Growth Capital. The report – co-produced by Innovate Finance, the ScaleUp Institute and Deloitte, in collaboration with industry, investors and the recently [...]
City of London Group reports loss as subsidiary prepares for banking licence August 18, 2020 The City of London Group has reported a loss of £9.7m as its subsidiary prepares to become a fully authorised bank. In July, Recognise Financial Services reached a major milestone in its journey towards becoming a bank when the Prudential Regulation Authority issued its Total Capital Requirement letter. The figures The City of London Group [...]
Chris Smalling invests in UK plant-based meat business August 17, 2020 A startup that specialises in “hyper-realistic” plant-based food has secured investment from international footballer Chris Smalling in its latest funding round. THIS closed its £4m Seedrs crowdfunding campaign on Friday, which was live for 2 and a half days before hitting its £4m target. THIS aims to mimic meat in taste, texture, appearance and smell [...]