magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
TalkTalk buyout rumours emerge as chairman ups stake close to 30%
Thursday 12 Jul 2018A series of share purchases in telecommunications services supplier TalkTalk ( TALK ) have led to intriguing buyout speculation. Hedge fund Toscafund Asset Management upped its stake in TalkTalk from 15.1% to 16.2% in response to the company’s share price plunging to 105p, close to a five-year low...
What the latest Brexit news means for markets and investors
Thursday 12 Jul 2018Having seemingly out-manoeuvred her Brexiteer colleagues with agreement on a ‘soft Brexit’ approach at Chequers last Friday (6 Jul), prime minister Theresa May is now reeling from the resignation of her Brexit secretary David Davis and foreign secretary Boris Johnson in the space of 24 hours. The...
Echostar walks away but Inmarsat still in play, say analysts
Thursday 12 Jul 2018Has the takeover battle for UK satellites operator Inmarsat ( ISAT ) ended almost before it begun? US peer Echostar had proposed a 532p per share deal that was dismissed as undervaluing Inmarsat. On 6 July the US firm, run by entrepreneur Charles Ergen, walked away. European peer Eutelsat pulled...
Sunny weather and England’s top World Cup performance hits holiday bookings
Thursday 12 Jul 2018England’s strong performance in the World Cup so far and the UK heatwave could be troublesome for listed travel agents, including Thomas Cook ( TCG ) , TUI ( TUI ) and On The Beach ( OTB ) . According to the latest research from GfK, both in shop and direct booking trends have been declining since...
Amigo’s IPO success implies investors haven’t lost interest in sub-prime lending
Thursday 05 Jul 2018Lending to sub-prime candidates is big business but comes with equally big risks. High-profile problems with doorstep lender Provident Financial ( PFG ) may have reduced investors’ appetite for the sector, yet the stock market flotation of another loans business, Amigo ( AMGO ) , is good reason to...
FTSE on course for record dividend payments
Thursday 05 Jul 2018The latest AJ Bell Dividend Dashboard report shows FTSE 100 constituents are on course to pay out a record £88.8bn in dividends this year. This total is dominated by three big companies. Between them, BP ( BP. ) , Royal Dutch Shell ( RDSB ) and HSBC ( HSBA ) are expected to account for 29% of the...
Should investors be concerned about China once again?
Thursday 05 Jul 2018The tension on trade provoked by a more belligerent and protectionist administration in the White House is proving to be a dominant theme for investors in early 2018. While this has led to some volatility in Western markets the impact has been more pronounced in Asia. The Hang Seng index in Hong...
SUSE sale sparks hopes of hefty value return for Micro Focus shareholders
Thursday 05 Jul 2018Shareholders in infrastructure software company Micro Focus ( MCRO ) could be in line for a return of value worth up to 295p per share, worth almost a quarter of the value of the current £12.77 share price. This is the amount being modelled by analysts at broker Numis following the FTSE 100...
Housebuilding review is a mixed bag for the sector
Thursday 28 Jun 2018The latest update on the Letwin Review into practices in the new build housing market contains both good news and potential bad news for housebuilders. As expected, Sir Oliver Letwin has dismissed arguments that the industry is hoarding land to drive up prices. However, he argues developers should...
Could post-Brexit M&A rules deter foreign investment?
Thursday 28 Jun 2018A study by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) suggests foreign companies could be deterred from investing in the UK by greater political scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions. As part of the Brexit process, the UK Government is planning to become more closely involved in the...