Before the Bell: Who does not love a $120bn auction? March 9, 2021 Starting today, tomorrow and Thursday, the US Treasury will hold a total of $120bn auctions of government bonds in the 3-year, 10-year, and 30-year tenors. All eyes will be on the bid-to-cover ratios after a recent 7-year auction saw that ratio slump. If markets’ appetite for US government debt at these levels disappoints, Jeffrey Halley, [...]
Gamestop phenomenon pushes millennials towards DIY investing March 9, 2021 From bitcoin to the growing interest in day trading and the most recent Gamestop debacle a new generation of younger investors has emerged from the pandemic. There has been a general increased interest in personal finance and savings in large part because younger generations have had the opportunity to save during lockdown. Just under half [...]
What’s behind the recent surge in oil prices? March 8, 2021 Global oil prices briefly rose above $70 today, their highest levels since January 2020, as the recent market rally continued apace. Although cooling later in the day, the spike saw prices hit peaks not seen since the US assassinated Iranian general Qassim Soleimani at the beginning of last year. And once again, it was security [...]
Bill Gates-backed Evolv goes public in $1.7bn Spac deal March 8, 2021 Crowd safety company Evolv Technology is merging with a special acquisition company (Spac) to go public in a deal that values the firm at $1.7bn. Evolv will merge with NewHold Investment Corp and the combined company expects to receive approximately $470m in gross proceeds. Following the closing of the transaction the company will be led [...]
Investors call for ‘decisive action’ on markets reform after Hill review March 8, 2021 Investors and corporates are concerned about the pipeline of IPOs this year because of the UK’s “burdensome” requirements. Just 21 per cent of investors and five per cent of corporates surveyed by Peel Hunt and the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) believe the number of listed firms will increase this year. The UK’s “burdensome listing requirements” [...]
AIM outperforms London’s main market during 12 months of Covid-19 March 8, 2021 A year on from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the AIM has strongly outperformed London’s main market, something highly unusual in periods of economic downturn. London’s AIM outperformed the FTSE All-Share by a number of metrics, in part due to several of its listed companies performing well during the pandemic. The AIM All-Share index [...]
FTSE 100 ends week lower as fears over US bond yields and housing market grow March 5, 2021 FTSE 100 ends week lower as fears over US bond yields and housing market grow
Pound sterling falls back to near $1.38 on US jobs data surprise March 5, 2021 Pound Sterling rises tempered by strong US economic figures
Ready meal firm Parsley Box set for London float March 5, 2021 Ready meal provider Parsley Box has this morning announced its intention to float on London’s AIM list. The company, which targets its meals at the “baby boomer” generation, said it would give its customers the chance to invest in the firm as part of the IPO. Parsley Box said that it planned to be admitted [...]
Wall Street slips despite better than expected US jobs data March 4, 2021 US stocks opened lower on Thursday as Wall Street reckoned with yesterday’s technology-led selloff, despite new data showing an improved US employment market. The tech-heavy Nasdaq slid 2.4 per cent this afternoon, with carpet company Dixie Group pulling the index down with a 48 per cent drop. Tesla shares extended yesterday’s loss of more than [...]