Private equity interest: Why is Morrisons such an attractive takeover target? June 21, 2021 Morrisons has rejected a £5.5bn takeover approach from a US private equity firm amid speculation that more UK supermarkets could be snapped up. Shares in Morrisons jumped earlier this morning following confirmation of the rejection at the weekend, as the chain said potential bidder Clayton, Dubilier & Rice “significantly undervalued” the grocer with its 230p-per-share [...]
Heavy rain waters down consumer enthusiasm as footfall slows June 21, 2021 Footfall fell by 3.1 per cent last week across all UK destinations, as rain put off shoppers from heading outside. The high street was the hardest hit area during the last week, with footfall falling 5.4 per cent, according to the latest data from Springboard. In shopping centres and retail parks, where less time is [...]
Why the Covid Recovery Commission is right to put focus on skills June 21, 2021 The City of London Corporation is urging Square Mile SMEs to get involved in discussions about how to support the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and enable growth into the future. The SME Strategy Focus Groups will be used to help inform the City Corporation’s very first strategy aimed at small to medium sized businesses. The new strategy is being developed to identify [...]
FTSE 100 drops while industrial stocks boost mid-caps June 18, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 dipped this morning after a fall in heavyweight oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell dragged down the index. The blue-chips fell by 0.5 per cent at the open, with oil dips offsetting gains in large dollar-earning consumer staples firms including Unilever and Diageo. These companies benefitted from a weaker pound, as [...]
Terrific Thursday for London IPO market as Wise, Victorian Plumbing, Seraphine, Poolbeg and Voyager Life confirm plans to float June 17, 2021 Fintech firm Wise, bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing; high end maternity retailer Seraphine, favoured by the Duchess of Cambridge; Dublin-based drug maker Poolbeg and cannabidiol products supplier Voyager Life all revealed plans to float today. Money transfer firm Wise said this morning to join the London Stock Exchange in what could be the biggest UK listing [...]
Fed pours cool water on recovery while AMP amps up June 17, 2021 Bitcoin is down two per cent this morning, currently trading at around $39,300, while Ethereum has also dipped below $2,500.
Dr Martens pays back furlough money after pandemic sales surge June 17, 2021 Dr Martens has handed back money borrowed under the Covid furlough scheme after reporting strong revenue growth in its first results as a publicly-listed company. The British bookmaker said it received £1.3m under the government’s job retention scheme in the early part of the pandemic, but had since returned the funds. It came as the [...]
Pre-Fed jitters keep US stocks below record highs at open June 16, 2021 US stocks opened just below record highs today as investors stayed on the fence ahead of potential hints from the Federal Reserve on when it would taper its monetary stimulus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.1 per cent, while the S&P 500 opened flat, remaining near an all-time time. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite [...]
Made.com shares fall after £775m London IPO June 16, 2021 Shares in Made.com fell in their debut this morning after the furniture retailer listed in a £775m London initial public offering. The online furniture brand, which has enjoyed rapid sales growth during the pandemic, set its offer price at 200p per share. This will give the company a market capitalisation of roughly £775m. It was [...]
Bitcoin recovery stalls at $40,000 as malaise sweeps alt markets June 16, 2021 Bitcoin’s recovery appears to have stalled somewhat at $40,000, despite yesterday popping its head briefly above $41k for the first time in nearly a month.