Exclusive: Aberdeen Standard backs controversial £1bn bid for Crossrail fleet December 17, 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) is backing a controversial £971m bid to acquire a fleet of 70 Elizabeth Line trains from Transport for London (TfL), City A.M. can reveal. The asset management giant is stumping up £147m in equity investment to Rock Rail, a rolling stock infrastructure company that finances new trains, with funding proposed from [...]
Legal & General hires bankers to sell its general insurance business December 12, 2018 Legal & General has appointed an investment bank to sell its general insurance arm. According to Sky News, L&G has hired Fenchurch Advisory Partners to sell the business in a deal that could be valued at more than £300m. L&G previously tried to dispose of its general insurance arm three years ago, but that attempt [...]
Why investors should be wary of star managers December 12, 2018 For a long time, it seemed like Neil Woodford could do no wrong. That was until 2017, when the UK’s best known fund manager seemed to lose his magic touch – and since then, the returns from his three popular funds have been struggling. His flagship Woodford Equity Income fund has lost investors almost 10 [...]
Royal London to appoint Standard Life Aberdeen board member Kevin Parry as chairman December 10, 2018 Royal London will appoint Standard Life Aberdeen board member Kevin Parry as its chairman this week. The company is set to announce that Parry will replace former Bank of England deputy governor Rupert Pennant-Rea, who has been in the role for five years, Sky News reported. The appointment will see Parry step down from his role [...]
The era of security tokens December 4, 2018 | Sponsored A year ago, the enforcement team at the SEC would have assembled around a large table to discuss how to deal with the booming ICO market. Crypto currency start-ups had overtaken Venture Capital in fund-raising and had caught everyone off-guard. Observers around that table would have heard stories of multi-million dollar scammers, rampant and unrealistic [...]
Orchard Street snaps up £55m building in Soho’s filmland December 3, 2018 Property investment firm Orchard Street has snapped up a £55m Soho building home to a British film production company. The office space in the property at 141 Wardour Street is fully let to Moving Picture Company, while retail space on the ground and basement floors is home to Princi, an Italian restaurant and bakery part-owned [...]
Investment Association launches consultation on including exchange traded funds in its sectors November 30, 2018 The Investment Association could include exchange traded funds (ETFs) in its fund sectors, the industry body announced today as it launched a consultation on the topic. ETFs are investment funds where shares are traded on a stock exchange and can be bought and sold at the current market price. The sector system, which is designed [...]
Proxy advisor recommends shareholders oppose Restaurant Group’s Wagamama takeover on the eve of the vote November 27, 2018 An influential shareholder group has recommended investors oppose the Restaurant Group’s £600m takeover of Asian fusion chain Wagamama on the eve of the vote. Pensions and Investment Research Consultants (Pirc) said the “risks and adverse implications for shareholders appear too great to overlook”. The proxy advisor's recommendation comes as investors prepare to cast their votes [...]
Investors show mixed appetite for Wagamama takeover as vote draws near November 25, 2018 A shareholder showdown looms over The Restaurant Group’s £559m planned takeover of Wagamama this week, with a number of major investors gearing up to oppose the deal. The Frankie and Benny’s owner could suffer a shareholder rebellion on Wednesday after several top investors signalled their intentions to vote against the proposed acquisition. Columbia Threadneedle Investments – [...]
Schroders plans to support the Restaurant Group’s proposed £600m Wagamama deal November 23, 2018 Schroders, a top 10 shareholder in the Restaurant Group, has come out in support of the Frankie and Bennies owner’s acquisition of Wagamama. It comes as several major investors announced they would oppose the deal at a meeting next week, saying the £600m price tag is too steep. Schroders fund manager Andy Brough said: “The [...]