UK mulls change in IPO rules to attract tech startups November 5, 2019 Downing Street has reportedly held discussions with representatives from the investment industry about changing the UK’s listing rules to encourage high-growth firms such as tech startups to float in London. The talks were part of a push by Number 10 to help boost the City after the UK leaves the EU at the end of [...]
Private equity firm KKR raises record €5.8bn European fund November 5, 2019 US buyout firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) has raised its largest ever European fund at €5.8bn (£5bn), as investors look to the region for higher returns. The flagship fund, which launched in February with an initial target of €5bn, will focus on private equity deals in Western Europe. Read more: European private equity buyouts climb [...]
Gem Diamonds shares rise despite third quarter price drop November 5, 2019 Gem Diamonds’ share price was up three per cent today despite prices being six per cent lower than in the last quarter. Achieved prices per carat fell from $1,501 (£1164) to $1,417. Read more: Petra Diamonds loses its sparkle as annual profits plunge The leading diamond producer said that it sold 25,631 carats in the [...]
Government urged to make London Stock Exchange a battleground in fight against autocracies November 5, 2019 The government should give itself the power to block London Stock Exchange listings on national security grounds as a check on the “influence and reach” of autocratic states, a committee of MPs said. In a report released today, the foreign affairs committee (FAC) said the government is failing to engage with the threat to international [...]
Weir Group warns over oil and gas profits after orders decline in third quarter November 5, 2019 Scottish engineers Weir Group today announced a 32 per cent decline in orders for its oil and gas division in the third quarter among challenging market conditions in North America. In response, the company announced that they had undertaken a £30m cost reduction programme in the division, including reducing its North American workforce by around [...]
FTSE 100 climbs higher on US-China trade war hopes as pound slips November 5, 2019 The FTSE 100 opened higher as it mirrored a rise in Asian markets and Wall Street overnight amid growing optimism over US-China trade negotiations. Buoyed by reports that President Trump may remove tariffs from some Chinese goods, Japan’s Nikkei climbed 1.8 per cent while China’s Shanghai Composite moved 0.5 per cent higher. Read more: US [...]
IPO costs knock Trainline into loss despite jump in ticket sales November 5, 2019 Trainline fell to a post-tax loss of £89m following its June IPO despite a 20 per cent boost to net ticket sales in its half-year results, it said today. Read more: Trainline increases revenue expectations as sales soar The figures Trainline recorded an £89m loss after tax in the six months to the end of [...]
Saudi Aramco IPO: The pros and cons November 5, 2019 Saudi Aramco is the mother of all oil companies, and the most profitable business in the world. Last year, its net income stood at $111bn, dwarfing the earnings of other oil giants. So the announcement on Sunday that the state-owned Saudi Arabian company will finally go public is massive news for investors, and marks the [...]
US stock markets hit all-time highs on trade war optimism November 4, 2019 The US’s three biggest stock markets hit all-time highs today as growing optimism about a US-China trade deal and loose global monetary policy caused investors to snap up risk assets. Read more: Donald Trump reveals ‘phase one’ trade agreement with China The benchmark S&P 500, the Dow Jones industrial average, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq had [...]
The Brexit ‘clock is ticking’ … until the next extension November 4, 2019 | City Talk Brexit is quite possibly the most destabilising event in recent market history. Clearly this has the most direct effect on the UK markets, but it also applies to the remaining member states of the European Union (EU). The idea that ‘financial markets like certainty’ is so often quoted that one wonders why 650 members of [...]