US hedge fund shorts British firms despite aim to ‘save’ UK market February 20, 2025 Activist investor Saba Capital has taken short positions against some key UK companies, including beloved Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury, despite previously claiming to be the “white knight of the UK market”. The American hedge fund has taken out a 0.95 per cent short position against the £537m publisher, or a roughly £5.1m bet against it. [...]
JP Morgan Global Growth & Income makes offer for Janus Henderson competitor February 7, 2025 JP Morgan’s Global Growth & Income trust, one of the most popular investment trusts on the market, is set to take over a smaller competitor run by Janus Henderson. The £3.1bn JP Morgan trust has launched a takeover of the £329m Henderson International Income trust, the two funds announced in a stock exchange notice today. [...]
BBGI Global Infrastructure offered £1bn takeover deal February 6, 2025 BBGI Global Infrastructure has been offered a £1bn takeover from a Canadian pension giant, with the FTSE 250 trust’s board backing the deal. In a stock exchange notice, BBGI said $250bn asset manager British Columbia Investment Management had offered 147.5p a share for the entire trust, 21 per cent above the trust’s share price yesterday. [...]
Saba Capital loses double vote on Baillie Gifford trust takeovers February 3, 2025 Saba Capital has lost two more votes in the US hedge fund’s campaign to take over a variety of UK investment trusts, leaving its campaign looking increasingly unlikely to succeed. Two trusts run by Baillie Gifford, Keystone Positive Change and Baillie Gifford US Growth, voted today to reject Saba’s proposal to unseat their boards and [...]
3i Infrastructure hopes portfolio sales will boost share price February 3, 2025 3i Infrastructure has sounded an optimistic note about its future after selling part of its portfolio, despite the trust’s share price continuing to plateau. In a trading update today, the FTSE 250 trust noted that it had finally completed the sale of its stake in French independent green energy operator Valorem, with hopes that this [...]
Saba Capital falls at first hurdle in activist trust campaign January 22, 2025 Saba Capital’s first battle over the board of a UK investment trust has failed, with investors widely rejecting its attempt to unseat the board of a targeted trust. In a shareholder vote today, 65 per cent of Herald trust shareholders voted to kill the activist hedge fund’s proposals, which aimed to depose and replace the [...]
Blackrock trusts agree peace deal with Saba Capital January 22, 2025 A host of Blackrock-run investment trusts have made a peace deal with US hedge fund Saba Capital, amid its activist campaign to take over the boards of several UK trusts. In a series of stock exchange announcements, the Blackrock trusts said that they had made an agreement with Saba to be left alone by the [...]
Saba Capital: Does the US hedge fund have a point on UK investment trusts? January 21, 2025 US hedge fund Saba Capital triggered fury and an industry-wide defensive effort when it launched an activist campaign against seven UK investment trusts last month. The Manhattan-based hedge fund, led by Boaz Weinstein, has laid siege to the trusts, accused them of failing to perform, and pushed for shareholder votes to “elect new directors with [...]
Why private equity trusts could be set for a bounceback in 2025 January 7, 2025 Analysts are expecting private equity trusts to bounce back in 2025 after a year in which they struggled to narrow the gap between the price of their shares and underlying value of their investments. The average private equity trust’s share price (excluding FTSE 100 giant 3i Group) currently trades more than 30 per cent below [...]
Baillie Gifford ‘appalled’ by US activist investor Saba Capital’s conduct January 6, 2025 Baillie Gifford has hit back against an activist campaign by US hedge fund Saba Capital targeting three of its investment trusts, calling the hedge fund’s actions “a backdoor attempt to seize control”. “We are appalled by Saba’s actions and conduct,” said Karen Brade, chair of one of Baillie Gifford’s trusts targeted by the attack. Last [...]