-
On 23rd April 2020, the CMA, a government regulatory body charged with promoting domestic competition, announced their approval of the prospective £6.2 billion merger of Just Eat and Takeaway.com. Following the exit of Takeaway.com from the UK online food delivery market in 2016, the CMA concluded the firm would be unlikely to re-enter Continue Reading -
A fortnight ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to Raja Palaniappan, CEO of Origin Markets. Origin Markets is one of the hottest fintech start-ups operating out of London, the fintech capital of the world. The hour spent with Raja provided a unique insight as to his inspiration behind the Continue Reading -
With the start of 2021 ushering in a new era for Britain, having left the EU’s single market, the agreed trade deal continues to be debated and questioned. But with a deal on financial services to be negotiated separately in the coming months, there is uncertainty surrounding the sector which Continue Reading -
On November 9th 2020, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced preliminary results of a medical study suggesting the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, with an efficacy of 90% in preventing COVID-19 in candidates facing exposure to the virus for the first time. The study comprised 43,538 participants, with those receiving the active Continue Reading -
To cap off an extraordinary year for businesses worldwide, Salesforce has officially announced on the 1st of December, 2020 that it would be acquiring collaboration software developer Slack for $27.7 billion USD. This acquisition would go down as the second largest software transaction in history, the price of which represents Continue Reading -
On 14th December 2020, AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire one of the biotech giants, Alexion, for $39 billion in cash and stock. The offer price was $175 per share with a 45% premium on top of its last trading price. AstraZeneca, the acquirer, is a red-hot global pharmaceutical company with its Continue Reading -
On November 30 2020, financial data provider S&P Global decided to buy financial analytics company IHS Markit for $44bn. The deal will create a financial data and analytics giant, well-positioned to compete with Bloomberg — the current market-leader in the financial data provider space. The takeover follows a series of Continue Reading -
Bitcoin hit an all-time high again. Of course, not before slumping shortly afterwards. It peaked at an intraday all-time high of $19,510, more than 300% above its low point in March earlier this year. It last attained such numbers in December 2017, a year which saw its value skyrocket nearly Continue Reading -
Since President-elect Biden won the election at the start of this month, many have been left wondering about the consequences this will have for the environment. The US has by no means a good reputation in this sector, especially after four years of the Trump administration who were actively hostile Continue Reading -
Online gaming platform Roblox filed to go public last week, joining a host of other technology companies looking to take advantage of the surging stock market conditions, particularly in recent weeks, with higher investor optimism being helped along by good news about virus vaccine trials. Roblox’s public debut will further Continue Reading -
DoorDash, America’s biggest food-delivery company, is due to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “DASH” next month, aiming to be valued at more than $20bn in the IPO and begin trading in December. Its financial documents filed on November 13th reveal it booked orders worth Continue Reading -
Over the last century or so, most Western economies have demonstrated distinctively cyclical behaviour. Known as the boom-bust cycle, the credit cycle or the economic cycle, the superposition of inflationary and deflationary oscillations over a reasonably linear increase in productivity growth, has defined the natural order of the financial markets Continue Reading -
Earlier this week, the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the government’s new 10-point plan towards a greener future; in which £12bn of government investment will be mobilised and up to 250,000 new jobs will be created. He wrote “This 10-point plan will turn the UK into the world’s number Continue Reading -
Oil prices slumped to their lowest levels since May on October 29th, with Brent Crude oil prices falling below $37 per barrel. Renewed lockdowns in Europe and resultant falls in demand serve as a reminder for an industry, scarred by the freefall of oil prices in March and April, of Continue Reading -
This month, Canada’s Intact Financial and Denmark’s Tryg made a joint bid to acquire RSA, a 300-year-old UK insurance firm, for £7.2bn. The deal follows a growing trend towards UK insurers being bought by overseas rivals; Finnish insurer Sampo and South Africa’s Rand Merchant acquired Hastings this year for £1.7bn. Continue Reading -
Just a few weeks ago, we were expecting Ant Group to launch the biggest IPO in history with a value of $37bn. In a dramatic turn of events however, the Chinese government imposed a swathe of new regulations aimed at preventing the IPO from taking place just the night before. Continue Reading -
Virtual healthcare provider Teladoc Health has acquired Livongo, a technology company which collects patient data to advise upon personal management of chronic illnesses, for $18.5bn, in one of the most prominent deals over the height of the global pandemic. Announced on August 5th, the deal was completed by the end Continue Reading -
Chip-manufacturing giants Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd. (TSMC) and Qualcomm have both recently reported blowout earnings, raising their revenue forecasts following a year of record highs. Worldwide sales of semiconductors totalled $113.6bn during the third quarter of 2020, an increase of 11% over the previous quarter and 5.8% more than Continue Reading -
Despite acquiring Reebok over a decade ago, Adidas are still struggling to make the gains from the brand it desired, leading to the consideration of a potential sale of the subsidiary. Shares of Adidas rose 1.9% on Thursday, due to multiple reports of the German footwear brand exploring the possibility Continue Reading -
The large German-based automotive group, Daimler AG, recently increased its stake in the iconic British luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin Lagonda to 20%. Today we take a look under the hood of the deal, investigating the background and motivation, and discerning what the two companies realistically are set to gain, Continue Reading -
Despite the UK entering its largest-ever recession this year, with the economy shrinking by more than 20% in Q2, house prices have shown strong growth, rising by 5.8% year-on-year to reach a record high of £227,826 in October 2020, the biggest annual rise in almost 6 years. The UK property Continue Reading -
With the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupting the travel industry, aero-engine giant Rolls-Royce is experiencing a period unlike any other in its long history. In order to combat the cash flow issues that are being faced by many across the industry, and the economy for that matter, Rolls-Royce have taken steps Continue Reading -
On Wednesday October 21st, the European Fiscal Board, an independent body that advises the European Commission, urged policymakers to take advantage of the opportunity for much-needed fiscal policy reform. The Stability and Growth Pact’s current temporary suspension has led for calls to rethink whether the pact’s target of a 60% Continue Reading -
Given the recent crash in oil prices this April, it may come as a surprise that on October 19th, ConocoPhillips — the world’s largest independent oil producer — decided to acquire Concho Resources, a US shale oil producer, in a deal worth $9.7bn. However, it could be argued that consolidation Continue Reading
