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.
Charming Crispin Odey told a former Telegraph colleague, Katherine Griffiths of The Times, yesterday that he now plans to sue the German regulator for introducing a short selling ban on Wirecard last year. Below is the link to Katherine's excellent piece:..
I thought I would let the venerable Financial Times bathe in the glory of its Wirecard investigation for a few days before publishing this post.
I have to admit the FT's series of articles on Wirecard is one of the finest pieces of financial journalism I have witnessed since I began my career on The Daily Telegraph's City desk all those years ago...
Natixis, the French banking group, announced after the market closed that it had signed an agreement with La Banque Postale to combine their fixed-income and insurance-related asset management businesses to create a powerhouse with EURO 415 billion under management. Below is the link to the press release:..
I see El Negocio has jumped on the Kansas City Southern bid rumour. Below is the link:
https://elnegocio.es/guerra-de-private-equities-por-comprar-kansas-city-southern/
The general thrust of El Negocio's piece is that Blackstone, the US private equity giant, is circling the transportation group.
Let's see.....
So, it looks like Betaville will have to remove easyJet from the "cash calls - who is next?" list after the low cost airline announced an emergency placing to raise up to £450 million this evening...
Does anybody else think yesterday's business splash in the The Sunday Telegraph about the Public Investment Fund accumulating a sizeable shareholding in BT Group is connected to the FT's scoop last month about Macquarie holding talks with the FTSE 100-listed telecoms giant about buying a stake in Openreach?..
Investors that have taken a punt on Tiziana Life Sciences in recent weeks were nicely rewarded today after the shares closed up almost 27pc.
In part, the shares surged because the company - which is working on treatments for a variety of diseases, including Covid 19 - was awarded a key patent.
Below is the link to today's announcement in case you missed it:..
It's not even a year since Advent International bought defence and aerospace group Cobham as part of controversial £4 billion take private deal.
But well-placed sources tell Betaville the private equity firm is already making moves that I suspect that might eventually upset Lady Cobham, Daily Mail readers and, possibly, the government...
Roll up, roll up: one of Betaville's favourite young hacks is starting an intriguing new project that is worth paying attention to.
Yes, William Turvill - formerly of the Mail on Sunday's business section and Press Gazette - has teamed up with some chums to create series of Zoom interviews with top entrepreneurs, chief executives and financiers...
It would appear former colleagues at The Sunday Times got wind of the Clinigen takeover tale, too.
Yesterday, the business section of the The Sunday Times ran a rather similar tale to Betaville's UNCOOKED Alert from a ten days ago. Below is the link:..
Perhaps the bears were onto something with Immuron, the Australian and Nasdaq-listed biopharmaceutical company developing a treatment for diarrhoea.
Yesterday, the US-listed stock collapsed 30pc to close $6.90.
And Immuron's American shares are down another 5pc or so in the pre-market.....
First Immuron; now Jiayin Group.
The US-listed Chinese digital marketplace is in focus after it leapt over 800pc during intraday trading yesterday, rising from $2.9 to an intrday high of $29.
The stock eventually closed at $5.8.
And today the company just announced its first quarter figures (the the link below):..
The equity fundraisings (see Ocado) continue unabated, so Betaville is putting Greggs on the "cash calls - who is next?" list as scribblers at HSBC were suggesting the baker would likely come to the market and ask shareholders for fresh funds in the coming weeks.
So, below is the updated list:
1. International Consolidated Airlines Group
2. InterContinental Hotels Group
3. Mitchells & Butlers
4. Kingfisher
5. Provident Financial..
Advent International is the mystery buyer stalking Clinigen but it's not clear whether it is still in "live" takeover talks with the Aim-listed medical supplies company.
Several people following the situation said Advent - which has carried out several investments in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries - has been working Goldman Sachs and HSBC on a multi-million debt package for a possible takeover of Clinigen...
It's not often a stock jumps a 1000pc in day. But yesterday Immuron, an Australian biopharmaceutical company that trades on Nasdaq, did exactly that on hopes it may develop a new treatment for diarrhoea.
Yes folks you read that correctly - diarrhoea...
Betaville is placing Rolls-Royce (no pun intended) on the ""cash calls - who is next?" list.
Now, readers might be asking why given the lockdowns are ending and stockmarkets are recovering.
Well, some very large and influential institutional investors suggested to little old Betaville an equity capital raising at Rolls-Royce is likely in the next few months...
[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].