Wall Street hits record high after FTSE 100 ends first quarter in the red March 31, 2021 Wall Street has posted its fourth consecutive quarter of gains after tech stocks pushed the S&P 500 to a record high today. The S&P 500 closed up 0.57 per cent, just shy of hitting 4,000 points for the first time as hopes of economic recovery offset a spike in US Treasury yields and the collapse [...]
Deliveroo shares slump 30 per cent on long-awaited stock market debut March 31, 2021 Deliveroo shares plunged by as much as 30 per cent on its long-awaited market debut, wiping more than £2bn off its valuation. The delivery firm’s shares closed out their first day of trading well down at 287p, a sharp drop from the offer price of 390p per share. The listing had been hotly anticipated given [...]
Pub operator Fuller, Smith & Turner raises £54m through share placing March 31, 2021 Pub operator Fuller, Smith & Turner raised nearly £54m today after completing a share placing in a bid to bolster its books. The pub and hotels company said a total of 6,455,447 placing shares had been placed by its bookrunner Numis at 830 pence per share. It represents approximately a fifth of the company’s shares [...]
China mulls new exchange for overseas-listed firms March 31, 2021 China is in early talks to establish a new stock exchange for overseas-listed firms as it looks to lure tech heavyweights. China has two main onshore exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen which have the same rules governing IPOs and non-initial listings. This is in contrast to other leading bourses including Hong Kong’s which offers waivers [...]
City watchdog to consult on changing listing rules for SPACs March 31, 2021 The City regulator has announced it will launch a consultation on changes to London’s listing rules to provide more investor protection in blank-cheque vehicles. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today said it will consider introducing a minimum market capitalisation and redemption option for investors. “Our proposals will help to ensure that SPACs operate within a [...]
The final countdown: Are businesses prepared for the Libor transition? March 31, 2021 The countdown to the end of Libor has begun but the scale of the work involved in transitioning to the new rate is immense. For 40 years Libor has been the key benchmark for setting interest rates on various loans and contracts, underpinning trillions of dollars of transactions, before controversy hit. From today no new [...]
Hiring for bankers reaches three-year high March 31, 2021 Recruitment for bankers has hit a three-year high according to new data despite the double whammy of the pandemic and Brexit. Last month Britain’s top banks posted 1163 professional banking vacancies, according to research by Morgan McKinley and Vacancysoft, a 43.9 per cent rise on the same period last year. Overall vacancies in the sector [...]
Climate change remains top priority at LGIM as it piles pressure on boards March 31, 2021 Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) increased its company engagements last year amid the pandemic and the looming threat of climate change, it said today. The asset manager’s Active Ownership report published today reveals engagements jumped 21 per cent and LGIM opposed the election of more than 4,700 company directors. There was a significant [...]
Wall Street dips on tech sell-off after FTSE 100 closes higher March 30, 2021 Wall Street closed in the red today following a sell-off of tech stocks as US Treasury yields hit a 15-month high. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones both dropped 0.3 per cent, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.1 per cent. It came after the FTSE 100 pushed higher following a volatile start to the week as [...]
Former Warner Music boss Edgar Bronfman Jr. backs $300m SPAC March 30, 2021 A blank-cheque vehicle backed by former Warner Music boss Edgar Bronfman Jr has filed to raise $300m in a US listing. Waverley Capital Acquisition Corp 1 has said it will sell 30m units, consisting of shares and warrants, at $10 each. Bronfman is the latest high-profile figure to get in on the SPAC frenzy which [...]
