From premium to peril: The tumultuous journey of Digital 9 Infrastructure and its uncertain future February 9, 2024 Once a darling of the infrastructure sector, the Digital 9 Infrastructure investment trust has seen its share price sink lower and lower, dropping over 40 per cent since January alone.
Runescape developer Jagex acquired by private equity backer of Six Nations CVC in deal worth £910m February 9, 2024 RuneScape developer Jagex has been acquired by the private equity backer of Six Nations Rugby, CVC from Carlyle Group for £910m. Jagex, which launched in 2000, is primarily known for Runescape and Old School Runescape and is headquartered in Cambridge with around 700 employees. Throughout its more than 20-year history, RuneScape has drawn over 300m [...]
AI teacher? Hambro Perks invests in ‘Edtech’ firm February 8, 2024 The company claims that its AI 'Edtech' had been found to improve the GCSE results of students who used it.
UK investors pumped £2bn into equity funds in January – the highest in three years February 7, 2024 UK investors added over £2bn to equity funds over January, the highest level since April 2021, according to Calastone’s Fund Flow Index. The £2bn was the eighth strongest month for equity inflows on record since Calastone began recording the data nine years ago, and was credited to a “distinct surge in buying interest”, as buy [...]
Year of the Dragon: Why investors have soured on China’s economic prospects February 7, 2024 China has powered global growth for decades, but as the year of the dragon begins, has the country still got its fire? Elliot Gulliver-Needham reports
Amundi: Europe’s largest asset manager makes £300m private market push February 7, 2024 Europe’s largest asset manager Amundi is set to buy a Swiss private markets specialist as it becomes the latest large asset manager looking to expand into the alternatives sector. The French firm said today that it would be paying €350m (£298.3m) for Alpha Associates, which currently manages €8.5bn of assets. The acquisition will bring Amundi [...]
Smurfit Kappa revenues slip as Irish giant prepares for merger February 7, 2024 Irish packaging giant Smurfit Kappa saw profit before income tax drop 18 per cent last year, as the firm prepares to merge into one of the largest packaging companies in the world. In the FTSE 100 firm’s full year results for 2023, it revealed that revenue had dropped 12 per cent, from €12.8bn in 2022 [...]
Ashmore suffers further outflows as emerging markets improve February 7, 2024 Ashmore, the emerging markets manager, has suffered further outflows despite stronger performance over the last six months.
BlackRock holds top spot for tenth time in ‘another bruising year’ for UK fund industry February 7, 2024 BlackRock came in first place for gross retail sales throughout the year, followed by Legal & General, Fidelity and HSBC AM.
UK M&A deals sink in 2023 as private equity surges February 7, 2024 UK Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) fell sharply last year, declining by 17 per cent compared to a global decline of just six per cent. In total, the UK saw 3,628 M&A deals across 2023, compared to 4,362 the previous year, though this was still around pre-pandemic levels, data from PwC has revealed. In the second [...]