Dark skies ahead – M&A in a turbulent macroeconomic ecosystem
Inflation not experienced across the West since the oil crisis of the 1970s, war raging in Eastern Europe reminiscent of the Cold War and interest rates soaring to combat inflation all points to dark skies ahead for national Aggregate Demand and national product, and international financial prosperity. Comparing macroeconomic data from the ’70s with now […]
First Italian fashion brand to list public equity on the New York SE
The Italian luxury fashion company Zegna became the first Italian luxury fashion brand to list public equity on the New York Stock exchange this month. The brand, a third-generation family-owned luxury fashion retailer, combined with a European Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) called Investindustrial, ran by former UBS chief executive Sergio Ermotti. With an enterprise […]
Blockchain continues to evolve finance and financial services
Market Report 28-12-21 Blockchain, the peer-to-peer computerised ledger system that underpins cryptocurrency and decentralised applications on notable crypto platforms such as Ethereum, Cardano and Solana, continues to evolve finance and financial services. Last week, J.P. Morgan announced it was partnering with Siemens to develop a blockchain ledger system to facilitate the company’s internal payments automatically. […]
US pension funds investing into bonds avoiding riskier equity
Market Report 23-12-21 In 2021, US pension funds have invested hundreds of billions of dollars into bonds avoiding the expensive and riskier equity markets in the process. Large cap equities in major Western markets are all trading at record highs or close to record highs in aggregate, judging from the record performances of the indexes […]
Commodity & equity markets taken slide as concerns over “Omicron” COVID-19
Market Report 21-12-21 Major commodity and equity markets have taken a slide as concerns mount over the “Omicron” variant of COVID-19. As the new variant of the virus spreads rapidly, investor uncertainty surrounding the economic consequences of Omicron are growing. On 19/12, the Netherlands announced a strict Christmas lockdown, which included non-essential shops, bars, gyms, […]
Didi Chuxing move to Hong Kong SE and leave New York SE
Market Report 17-12-21 Didi Chuxing, a large Chinese ride-hailing equivalent to Uber, has signalled its intention to move to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after Chinese authorities and regulators pressured it to withdraw from the New York Exchange. Based on data security concerns, Chinese authorities including the Cyberspace Administration of China and the China Securities […]
Inflation continues to accelerate to its highest level in over a decade
Market Report 16-12-21 As inflation continues to accelerate to its highest level in over a decade, investors are allocating more capital to inflation-linked assets. In November, U.S. inflation rose to 6.8% whilst Eurozone inflation rose to 4.9% and U.K. inflation to 5.1%, all year on year. Whilst Central Banks in question have been paying close […]
Inflation accelerates to its highest level in over a decade
Market Report 30-11-21 In October, inflation reached its highest level in a decade. The Consumer Price Index, which tracks the prices of a ‘basket’ of consumer related goods on a year-to-date basis, rose by 4.2% in the 12 months to October 2021, up from 3.1% in September. The current rate of inflation exceeds the Bank […]
Royal Dutch Shell plan to ditch dual shares and be renamed Shell Plc
Market Report 29-11-21 A few weeks ago, Royal Dutch Shell announced plans to ditch its dual share structure, which consists of Class ‘A’ and Class ‘B’ shares. The move, which will see Royal Dutch Shell be renamed Shell Plc, will establish the Oil & Gas giant in London on a full-time basis (moving away from […]
First Bitcoin-backed exchange traded fund (ETF) on New York Stock Exchange
Market Report 17-11-21 In October, the first Bitcoin-backed exchange traded fund (ETF) in the United States was launched on the New York Stock Exchange. The Bitcoin Strategy ETF by ProShares Trust made its debut on 20/10. Looking at its performance since launch, its price has fluctuated and it is yet to build on its opening […]
Since 2017 over 150 company spinoff deals worth over $700b
Market Report 15-11-21 Conglomerates, defined as companies consisting of a number of different parts that fall under the same group as one company, are some of the largest and most public businesses in the world today. Take for example Reliance Industries, the company owned by Mukesh Ambani (India’s richest man) which has interests in Telecommunications, […]
IPO of Volvo sees the impending merger between Guggenheim & Polestar
Market Report 11-11-21 Following the IPO of Volvo Cars on the Nasdaq Nordic exchange a few months ago and impending SPAC merger between Gores Guggenheim and Polestar (A partially Volvo-owned electric vehicle maker) – further movement has occurred in the equity capital markets within the electrified vehicle industry. On 10/11, a company called Rivian (NASDAQ: […]
Millennium Capital to restructure its redemption plans for investors
Market Report 10-11-21 Millennium Capital, one of the world’s most successful hedge funds, recently announced its intention to restructure its redemption plans for investors. One of the riskiest features of a hedge fund – a type of financial institution which attempts to “beat the market” using borrowed capital and actively managed portfolio strategies – is […]
Bank of England say inflation to hit 5% year on year by spring 2022
Market Report 05-11-21 The Bank of England announced in October that inflation was likely to hit 5% year on year by early spring 2022, around the second quarter. For a central bank with a 2% per year inflation target, a 5% rate of inflation is certainly concerning and on 04/11 the Monetary Policy Committee (the […]
Facebook announce rebrand on the back of another ethical scandal
Market Report 03-11-21 What is the metaverse? It has been a buzzword over the past couple of weeks, with Facebook announcing a company rebranding to Meta on the back of another ethical scandal, with a whistle-blower from the company accusing Facebook of putting user metrics and profits before user safety and misleading investors. The question […]