IPO and M&A markets braced for further headache in 2020 October 14, 2019 Corporate dealmakers are bracing themselves for a further slowdown in business next year, with a new report forecasting a sharp slump in activity as geopolitical uncertainty mounts. Initial public offerings (IPO) and merger and acquisitions (M&A) are set to drop in both activity and value during 2020 amid trade wars and growing fears of a [...]
Spotlight on Pizza Express as debt pile sparks fears for chain’s future October 13, 2019 Speculation over the future of Pizza Express mounted over the weekend amid reports of potential store closures and debt restructuring talks. The pizza chain, which is looking to slash its £1.1bn debt pile, has denied suggestions that it is mulling mass closures after a tough spell of trading. Read more: Twitter is scared Pizza Express [...]
‘Nest Egg’ policy proposal wins £50,000 IEA Breakthrough Prize October 10, 2019 A £50,000 free market prize has been awarded to the authors of a new report which has proposed allowing universities, rather than government, to lend to their students. Read more: Johnson and Varadkar hold talks Researcher Peter Ainsworth and academic economist Dr Tom McKenzie have been named the winners of the Institute of Economic Affair’s [...]
Donald Trump turns against longtime ally Fox News, saying impeachment poll ‘sucks’ October 10, 2019 President Donald Trump may have to expand his definition of the “lamestream media” after falling out with his longtime favourite news station, Fox News. The broadcaster published a poll today showing a majority of US voters want the President to be impeached. Read more: Trump says Fed reserve ‘don’t have a clue’ But Trump did [...]
Goldman reviews role in planned Megvii IPO after US blacklisting October 9, 2019 Goldman Sachs is reviewing its role in the planned listing of a Chinese tech firm that has been blacklisted by the US. The bank said today that it was looking at its involvement in Megvii Technology’s potential initial public offering (IPO). Read more: Weaker European market expected to be at centre of potential HSBC job [...]
Extinction Rebellion protesters seek to shut down City Airport for three days October 9, 2019 Fears of travel chaos at London City Airport are looming large as climate change protesters gear up to blockade the terminal and disrupt flights. Extinction Rebellion has vowed to cause a “Hong Kong-style” occupation at City Airport over the coming days in an attempt to grind London’s business terminal to a halt. Read more: Met calls [...]
Disruptive no-deal scenario could weaken the UK equity market and pound October 9, 2019 UK equities and sterling could both suffer a double-digit hit to their value from a disruptive no-deal Brexit, according to a new financial stress test. In the event of a disorderly departure from the European Union, UK equity markets and the pound relative to the dollar could weaken by 15 per cent and 10 per [...]
Inmarsat set to win green light over $3.4bn private buyout October 9, 2019 A blockbuster buyout of British satellite giant Inmarsat looks set to go ahead after clearing a major hurdle this evening. Read more: Government warned SMES can’t live off ‘kind promises’ Inmarsat and its buyers have proposed a series of remedies, such as a pledge to keep the firm in the UK for several years as [...]
Why Hong Kong’s bid for London Stock Exchange was doomed from the start October 8, 2019 For the last month the chief executive of the Hong Kong bourse has been selling his £32bn takeover offer for the London Stock Exchange (LSE) as if it were the perfect love match. “We complete each other,” Charles Li told banking delegates in Canary Wharf. His amorous talk, however, has not been enough to convince [...]
US stocks open lower as fears of trade war escalation knocks confidence October 8, 2019 US stocks tumbled after the opening bell today as investor anxiety mounted ahead of crunch trade talks between Washington and Beijing. Optimism among traders was knocked this afternoon after the US blacklisted almost 30 Chinese groups from buying US-made goods. Read more: Sterling tumbles as Brexit deal hopes ‘snuffed out’ The tech-focused Nasqad index dipped [...]
