A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip or want to discuss a story please feel free to email Betaville at ben@betaville.co.uk. Betaville can also be reached at Whats App, Signal or Telegram. Betaville's Twitter handle is @bharringtonw11 and you can message me via Twitter with stories.
British small cap enthusiasts scoffed when I asked them about Seeing Machines a few weeks ago.
But I still thought it worthwhile mentioning the developer of driver monitoring software in the Mail on Sunday's Stockwatch column that I occasionally write/edit as the tip came from a reliable well spoken City type. I have pasted the link below in case you don't recall:..
Sir Richard Branson's airline has been having a tough time for obvious reasons but Betaville hears the online wine retailer that bears the bearded entrepreneur's Virgin brand is doing rather well.
Virgin Wines, an online wine retailer, has seen substantial earnings growth over the last twelve months as a growing number of thirsty housebound drinkers order online and that has prompted the owners of the business to weigh a sale, said people following the situation...
Many of Betaville's loyal readers know Knightsbridge well. Some probably live there given its one of the smartest areas in central London similar to the Upper East Side in New York. But one thing it isn't known for is its innovative, cheap eateries that you find in hipster zones, such as Dalston, Clapton and Peckham.
If you want to eat out in Knightsbridge expect to pay high prices at places like Zuma and Zafferano...
Splashed across the front page of FT.com is a scoop about how LVMH and Tiffany are conducting off the record talks about a lower take out price for the jewellery group to avoid a court showdown. Below is the link:
https://www.ft.com/content/1fd7decd-5a99-467a-bf01-3c9a58c99426..
Alex Ralph and Tom Ball of The Times do an excellent job today in a double page spread of unpicking the links between Sir Charles Dunstone and Martin "the Rottweiler" Hughes's Toscafund, which has made a low ball offer for Talk Talk...
Well that didn't take long: just a few days after last week's "Cash calls - who is next - Part 17" the well spoken chaps at Peel Hunt aired almost identical comments about the likelyhood of another wave of cash calls in 2021, possibly by some of the companies that have already tapped the market for funds this summer.
Below is a link to a piece in The Times quoting Charles Hall, Peel Hunt's excellent head of research...
Another day, another US shale deal.
This time round the venerable Wall Street Journal has landed a scoop about Pioneer Natural Resources Company bid for Parsley Energy Inc in what would be a $4.1 billion takeover. Below is a link to the WSJ tale:..
It's pretty gloomy out there given the current state of affairs but hasn't put a dampener on dealmaking.
Today in the US ConocoPhillips announced a $9.7 billion for shale explorer and producer Concho Resources while chip maker Intel Corporation is in talks to sell its memory-chip unit to South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc. for roughly $10 billion. That's two $10 billion deals in a day...
An oil major is rumoured to be weighing a purchase of EOG Resources, the US-listed oil explorer and producer.
People following the situation have heard speculation one of the largest oil producers in the world is studying the possibility of acquiring EOG resources, which was previously known as the Enron Oil & Gas Company...
Some funds, such as Marshall Wace, can reportedly see "value" in beaten up stocks such as International Consolidated Airlines Group but there other serious investors who think some of the companies that have carried big equity raises over the last few months could tap the markets again for fresh funds in 2021...
It sounds like blue-chip builders' merchant Ferguson really wants to get rid of Wolseley, one of Britain's largest suppliers to builders, plumbers and tradesmen.
According to Betaville's moles in the City of London, Ferguson has asked advisers from NM Rothschild to garner interest from buyers, such as private equity firms, for Wolseley UK...
The story is as the headline suggests - Brevan Howard has bought a 25pc shareholding in Conneticut-based One River Asset Management.
Indeed, the deal could be announced imminently, said one of Betaville's hedgie moles.
Betaville isn't sure how much Brevan Howard, led by wily Alan Howard, is paying for its stake but presumably it's in the multi-millions...
There weren't too many public company deal stories that caught Betaville's eye this weekend but The Sunday Times interview chief executive stood out like a sore thumb.
Philip Jansen, the new (ish) boss of BT Group, offered himself up to Oliver "Shahsy" Shah and John "The Ridge" Collingridge, senior business hacks at The Sunday Times for a grilling. Below is the link if you didn't read it:..
So, it would appear Sebastian Vettel has actually bought a stake in Aston Martin, according to the Formula One champion himself.
Speaking at a drivers' press conference ahead of the Eifel Grand Prix on the 11th of October Vettel said:
"If you are asking me if I have shares in the company, I have. How much? I think it’s a secondary thing and I won’t talk about."
Below is a link to a report from the press conference:..
[Disclaimer - the information on Betaville does not consitute any form of investment recommendation and is not intended to be relied upon by readers in making, or refraining from, any investment decisions].