Why the Fourth Industrial Revolution may create beach hotspots for investors February 27, 2019 The Industrial Revolution resulted in a rail network that has influenced real estate values ever since. Now the Fourth Industrial Revolution is driving the latest wave of value creation – for certain beach locations. Our focus on this blog is on identifying the shifting fortunes of global cities. Part of this involves careful analysis of [...]
Credit check service Experian abandons £275m Clearscore merger after watchdog investigation February 27, 2019 Experian has backed down over its £275m merger with credit rating checker rival Clearscore after a watchdog warned it could harm competition in the sector. The firm said it did not believe the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would approve the acquisition of the rival and has decided to abandon the proposal. Read more: Experian reports [...]
Leaked information on M&A deals leads to higher valuations February 26, 2019 Leaking information on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals before any public announcement of the transaction added an extra US$21m to the average value of deals announced in 2016 that leaked, according to new research from Intralinks and Cass Business School. In addition to evidence of higher valuations for M&A deals that leak, the 2017 Intralinks [...]
Competition watchdog to investigate Non-Standard Finance’s £1.3bn Provident takeover bid February 26, 2019 The UK’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into Non-Standard Finance’s (NSF) £1.3bn takeover bid for rival subprime lender Provident. A war of words between the lenders has escalated in recent days after NSF made a surprise offer for its larger rival on Friday. Read more: Provident defends annual results delay as takeover row escalates [...]
Lord Tyrie says consumers must be put at heart of competition law regime February 25, 2019 The chair of the competition regulator Lord Tyrie today said consumers would be put at the heart of a new competition law regime to help fix the “erosion of trust” between the public and the authorities. Speaking in London at the launch of a set of proposed reforms, Tyrie said there is a “growing sense that [...]
Competition regulator set to launch reforms to beef up consumer protection February 24, 2019 Consumer protection is set to be beefed up with bigger fines and disqualification for company directors under a new set of proposals to be announced tomorrow by the competition watchdog. The chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Lord Tyrie will announce a set of proposed reforms at an event with the business secretary Greg [...]
Private equity player KKR reportedly circling Asda following Sainsbury’s deal setback February 24, 2019 US private equity house KKR is reportedly mulling a bid for Asda after a ruling last week by the competition regulator that could stymie its proposed tie-up with fellow big four supermarket Sainsbury’s. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said last week that a deal between the two supermarkets could lead to "a substantial lessening [...]
Chickens come home to roost for Mike Coupe as Sainsbury-Asda deal dies February 22, 2019 Mike Coupe was a happy chappy back in April. Notably he was caught on camera humming the lyrics to the gold digger's song – 'we're in the money' etc, after announcing a supermarket mega merger like no other. This week however the companies' complete lack of understanding of the Competition and Markets Authority has come [...]
How will the EU act after Brexit? February 21, 2019 Britain's planned departure from the EU exposes many issues. A key one is the economic path the UK will choose. Less commonly asked is what will the rest of the EU do. Perhaps this should figure more in the debate. Last year, President Macron suggested the EU move towards a core, built on closer political [...]
FCA hands £415k in fines to investment groups over float collusion February 21, 2019 The UK’s financial watchdog has slapped two investment management groups with fines for breaking competition rules by sharing information ahead of an initial public offering (IPO). The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined Hargreave Hale £306,300 and River and Mercantile Asset Management (Raman) £108,600. It said the firms had shared “strategic information”, including their intentions on pricing [...]