Zoopla founder Alex Chesterman drives away with £30m funding for used car startup December 2, 2018 Zoopla founder Alex Chesterman wants to cut out the awkward tyre-kicking from buying a used car with a new startup. Chesterman, who sold Zoopla for £2.2bn earlier this year, said Cazoo aimed to make buying a car “no different to buying any other product online today”. The entrepreneur, who will serve as Cazoo’s CEO, has [...]
FTSE 250 outsourcer Kier sees shares plummet as it asks shareholders for £264m to slash debt November 30, 2018 Construction services company Kier Group’s share price plummeted to its lowest point for a decade this afternoon as it announced a plan to raise £264m to pay off debts. The FTSE 250 firm said the rights issue would give existing shareholders the chance to buy its stocks for 409p each, a 34 per cent discount [...]
Junk corporate bond outflows of $2.9bn fuelled by falling oil prices November 30, 2018 The junk corporate bond market has seen outflows surge this week fuelled by a drop in oil prices. High-yield bonds saw outflows of $2.9bn (£2.27bn) in the week to Wednesday, bringing the three-week total outflows to $8.8bn. Outflows in investment grade corporate bonds hit $2.5bn, reaching $8.8bn over the last three weeks, according to research [...]
Oil prices hit one-year low after worst month since financial crisis November 30, 2018 Oil prices are struggling at more than a one-year low following its worst month since the financial crisis ten years ago. It has plunged 21 per cent during November, losing the returns it made throughout the year. Europe’s main share indexes in London, Frankfurt and Paris all sank, and Wall Street futures were pointing down [...]
The activist investor revolution has begun November 30, 2018 A year ago, anyone attempting to name a FTSE 100 stock that was likely to chart a double-digit share price rise would have been unlikely to name Whitbread. With a big exposure to the British consumer, the owner of Costa Coffee and Premier Inns seemed to have too many chips stacked on the wrong part [...]
Moulton-backed litigation funder Manolete Partners raises £29m in London float November 30, 2018 A litigation funder backed by City veteran Jon Moulton has raised £29.4m in its London initial public offering (IPO). Manolete Partners announced its intention to float on London’s Aim market today. It said it had conditionally raised £16.3m before expenses from the placing of 9,285,714 new ordinary shares with £13.1m before expenses realised by selling shareholders [...]
Softbank sets indicative IPO price at £10.34 per share to value firm at nearly £50bn November 30, 2018 Softbank intends to sell shares for ¥1500 (£10.34) a piece in its initial public offering (IPO) next month, in the country’s biggest ever listing. The company didn’t give a price range, instead plumping for a single preliminary figure for the 2.41 trillion yen (£16.44bn) IPO, Reuters reported, showing the company is confident that demand will [...]
Oil bounces back following reports Russia is prepared to cut output November 29, 2018 Crude oil prices today clawed back losses following reports that Russia has accepted the need to cut its output. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose steeply today to $59.26 a barrel after closing at $58.12 yesterday. US West Texas Intermediate also recovered, having fallen below $50 a barrel for the first time since October 2017. [...]
What happens when the ‘FAANG’ stocks lose their bite? November 29, 2018 | City Talk There can be little doubt about the stars of world markets in recent years. The US has led the way, with tech companies to the fore and, at the very front of the march, the so-called ‘FAANG’ stocks of Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. Still, remembering the old stock market adage ‘Tall trees do [...]
The pound falls as May warns Parliament rejecting her Brexit deal would kickstart no-deal preparations November 29, 2018 The pound has fallen to a weekly low against the euro this morning as Theresa May was grilled by a Commons committee over her Brexit deal. The Prime Minister defended her withdrawal agreement in front of the House of Commons liaison committee just a day after the Bank of England's bleak no-deal forecast, in which [...]