From the UK general election to Greek debt fears it was an obstacle course for cross-border IPOs in 2015 December 15, 2015 It may have been the year of the mega deal, but the capital markets have suffered in 2015, and it’s been a decidedly poor year for cross-border IPOs. Fears over China’s growth, elections, referendums, and defaults in Europe, as well as uncertainty over the Fed’s rate hike all contributed to a 39 per cent drop [...]
Two companies, $20bn in combined revenue, 100 countries, and six things you need to know about Shire and Baxalta’s merger January 11, 2016 Shire spent six months trying to woo Baxalta's board, here's all you need to know about the long-awaited $32bn (£22bn) merger in six points: The deal The merger is the third largest pharma deal by a UK company, and the 16th biggest pharma deal ever, according to Dealogic's data. In the UK it is only beaten by the mega-mergers that created [...]
Pfizer and Allergan speed up $150bn mega-merger talks November 19, 2015 Pfizer has hastened discussions with Allergan over a potential acquisition, according to reports. Ireland-base Allergan confirmed at the end of last month it was in talks to join forces with its US rival, but according to a source close to the matter the decision making process has picked up pace. Pfizer is said to be [...]
The studio behind the James Bond franchise is reportedly in talks over a £300m takeover with a US property fund July 27, 2016 The UK's legendary Pinewood Film Studios could reportedly be sold within the week to an international property fund. The studios – where films including the Harry Potter series, the most recent Star Wars film and the James Bond franchise have been filmed – could be sold for more than £300m. According to Sky News, the [...]
New York Stock Exchange recovers after “experiencing issues” October 30, 2014 The New York Stock Exchange has returned to business as usual after a brief hiccup with posting and receiving trades and quotes. The problems were blamed on an as yet unspecified issue with the National Market System securities information processor, the network that carries trades and quotes. About ten minutes after the problem had been [...]
Candy Crush maker King Digital bought by US games giant Activision Blizzard for $5.9bn November 3, 2015 Activision Blizzard, the US gaming giant behind Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, announced this morning it's bought iPhone games developer King Digital, the European company behind the notoriously addictive Candy Crush, for $5.9bn (£3.8bn). The company said it will pay $18 per share for the company, a 20 per cent premium over King's closing price [...]
Prime Minister David Cameron appoints Alibaba’s Jack Ma to his Business Advisory Group October 19, 2015 Alibaba founder and executive chairman Jack Ma has been appointed to Prime Minister David Cameron's Business Advisory Group (BAG). Number 10 announced the appointment today, ahead of a four-day state visit by China's President Xi Jingping. Commenting on the appointment today, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "This is about appointing someone who has real business [...]
Twitter 10-year birthday: A short history of Twitter and where is right now at 10 March 20, 2016 There have been uprisings (the Arab Spring), numerous faux pas (hello Ed Balls), and global events (World Cup anyone?) experienced together, but it was only 10 years ago when Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder and current chief executive, published the first ever tweet that changed the way we communicate – "Just setting up my Twttr". Since [...]
RACE: Ferrari speeds off the starting grid as Fiat Chrysler launches IPO October 12, 2015 The flotation of luxury car maker Ferrari sped off the starting grid with a throaty roar this morning, as Fiat Chrysler, its parent company, announced the launch of its IPO. The company, which owns 90 per cent of Ferrari, said it will sell a nine per cent stake in the company at somewhere between $48 and [...]
Alibaba agrees $4.3bn merger with Youku Tudou November 6, 2015 Alibaba has bought Chinese online entertainment company Youku Tudou for $4.3bn (£2.8bn) in a bid to increase its presence in China's booming online video sector. The price represents a premium of 35.1 per cent over the closing price of Youku Tudou shares the day before Alibaba signalled its takeover intentions. Alibaba upped its original offer [...]