A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip, want to discuss a story or have a subscription enquiry please feel free to email Betaville at [email protected]. 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.
The scribblers over at French broker Exane BNP Paribas were pushing the Japan Tobacco for Imperial Brands line hard this morning although I have still not unearthed any new facts (it's called journalism) that might substantiate their theory.
Obviously, I will let loyal readers know when I do but for the time being I have pasted Exane's note below...
The lovely Jenny Hammond was back in the hotseat today after a rather nice is holiday in the Caribbean. Below is a link to today's clip, which also includes one of the City's most cynical commentators - Zak Mir.
http://tiptv.co.uk/andy-brough-pushes-bovis-berkeley-deal-betaville/..
I used to dread the Davos Economic Forum when I worked at The Daily Telegraph. That's because the higher ups would swan off for a week of "networking" in the Swiss Alps leaving the middle rankers (like me) to pick up the slack in the office...
Clearly today's newspapers are dominated by you know who.
However, there was one story in The Daily Telegraph's business section that caught my eye: Ashley Armstrong's piece on how Ranjit Boparan, the entrepreneur known as "The Chicken King", has received a takeover approach for Party Ring, the maker of Fox's Biscuits, from a mystery suitor...
A lot has been written about "fake news" over the last month so but how about ruminating on the growing amount of duff - or perhaps we should call them "fake" - denials.
Today, for example, French aerospace company Safran announced it is buying rival Zodiac Aerospace for EURO 8.5 billion...
So, here is that curious piece of gossip about ITV I mentioned was I looking into earler in the week. However, to be up front and clear, this gossip really is RARE!
I have been told that back in early December a boutique broker called LionTree organised a big dinner in Denver, USA for a bunch of institutional investors that wanted to meet Liberty Global's management team, including chief executive Mike Fries...
Dom Walsh, one of the best leisure reporters knocking about the UK national newspaper scence, had an intriguing line in his diary column in today's The Times about how Alan McIntosh's consortium hasn't given up on Punch is in talks with C&C Group, maker of Magners, to launch a joint rival bid for the pub company...
Below is the first Tip TV session of 2017 with my old chum Zak, who was rather subdued today as he was suffering with a heavy cold.
http://tiptv.co.uk/ma-update-luxottica-essilor-bid-punch-taverns-betaville/..
I see market reports in both the Financial Times and The Times have dedicated a significant amount of column inchs this morning to the mounting speculation about a potential takeover bid for ITV. Here are links to those respective columns:
https://www.ft.com/content/77c6c134-d9b4-11e6-944b-e7eb37a6aa8e..
Regular readers will be aware that I have recently re-introduced the "top of the market?" series since the FTSE 100 index started to flirt with fresh all-time highs.
However, little old Betaville likes to give respected commentators with a completely different pespective an opportunity to air their views to provoke thought and debate among readers...
This announcement (see below) from Imperial Brands (formerly Imperial Tobacco) about a joint venture with China Tobacco has got a few market watchers all aflutter.
http://www.investegate.co.uk/imperial-brands-plc--imb-/rns/joint-venture/201701111300019232T/
One follower of the company described it as "massive news" likely to flush out the Japanese...
Last year little old Betaville received its first threatening legal letter from a top City law firm, so I know what it's like to face a bully trying to suppress a good tale.
In fact, as a staff business journalist at The Daily Telegraph during the mid-noughties I received numerous legal warning letters and also one threat to injuct the whole newspaper (a potential disaster for a national publication)...
Britain's richest brothers, the Reuben Brothers, have held talks about backing Emerald Investment Partners' potential bid for pub operator Punch Taverns.
According to well-placed sources, Emerald has approached the billionaire Reuben Brothers about providing financial backing for its £400 million plus bid for Punch...
There have been a couple of major US biotech deal announcements today, which should cheer a few market watchers up on what on this wet, strike-ridden Monday...
One of Britain's largest specialist furniture retailers could be about to sell a stake in the company as part of a deal that would value the business at around £400 million.
Betaville understands Oak Furniture Land has appointed advisers from PricewaterhouseCoopers to carry out a "strategic review", which may lead to a sale of a minority or majority stake in the business...
In case you missed it - I did because City AM isn't distributed where I live - here is a link to the Kleinmanator's New Year prediction column, in which he writes he expects AstraZeneca will be bid for again by numerous international parties...
http://www.cityam.com/256491/-big-year-but-wont-trump-2016s-shocks
..
The billionaire Reuben Brothers could be about to make another multi-million pound cash windfall from the sale of one of their businesses.
City sources the brothers are considering a sale of Metro International Trade Services, a metal warehousing company, after receiving approaches from potential buyers. I understand one of the purchasers is a mystery Chinese company...
Uber bankers Sir Simon Robey and Simon Warshaw were being feted in the British business press today after the boutique advisory firm released its accounts for last year showing their little outfit made £37 million in profits...
[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].