The board of FTSE 100 drug firm Shire (LON:SHP) has recommended that shareholders accept Takeda’s takeover bid. The offer of $33.03 in cash and 0.839 New Takeda shares values the company at approximately £46 billion. The Dublin-based outfit had received five prior offers since March from its Japanese rival. Shire management rejected the prior bids…
My colleague, Simon Cawkwell, writing in his Evil Diaries, recently described Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) as “surely…..the greatest short in the history of the world’s stock markets”, which is a pretty dramatic statement for someone so adept at spotting shorting opportunities. Investors – as distinct from spread betters – would not normally be able to benefit from these…
The Alternative Investment Market – also known as “AIM” – provokes controversy in the investment community. Some see it as little better than a casino, useful for short-term trading at best; others see it as an ideal forum for the industrious private investor to seek out opportunities for growth. What is for certain is that…
We always knew that Donald Trump was a badass. What we didn’t know (though the stock markets kind of knew) was whether his rag-bag of policies might just work… Hail to the Tweet! The 45th President of the United States is an outsider – a maverick who refuses to play by the book. His management style…
While the FTSE 100 may have gained 7% in the last month to trade within 250 points of its all-time high, not all stocks have enjoyed such a strong performance. In fact, in the last year a number of large-caps have experienced falling valuations for a variety of reasons. Therefore, there could be an opportunity…
One of the most influential things I have ever seen is a presentation on YouTube. Its formal title is Arithmetic, Population and Energybut it is described, for once, I think, without too much exaggeration, as The most important video you’ll ever see. You can judge for yourself and watch it here. The presenter is the…
Recent research by the broker Canaccord Genuity has highlighted which boards of directors and fund managers have the most significant personal stakes in their own investment trusts. Having ‘skin in the game’ doesn’t guarantee that the fund will deliver excellent performance, but it is the best indication there is that those involved are prepared to…
Friday afternoon was cold and damp and we had to walk from a parking point in the Hurlingham to All Saints Church on the north side of Putney Bridge for Tony Shearer’s memorial service – he died of a brain tumour a few months ago. He had been an approximate contemporary of mine at Rugby…
Well-off Aussies and Kiwis prefer to invest their hard-earned dollars in bricks and mortar. With home prices softening in the Antipodes, this could be a good moment to buy. Housing? No worries, mate Australians and New Zealanders can be very British. There is nothing they like more to chat about over a cup of tea,…
Interest rates in the UK have already started to rise. The Bank of England is now expected to increase them further over the coming months, with the UK now seemingly on a road to interest rate ‘normalisation’ over the medium term. However, the chances of a rapid rise in interest rates seem slim. Inflation has…
