There has been plenty of talk over the last few weeks in the London market that some of the big London-listed companies that raised cash on the equity markets last year will be going back to shareholders in the next few weeks or months for fresh funds.
Indeed, JD Wetherspoons last night declared it is looking to raise up to £93 million after receiving £137 million from investors last year...
We are only into the second full trading of the year but scribblers at Citigroup are quick out the blocks with their prediction that easyJet will have to carry out another equity issue, most likely in the second quarter of this year...
Harriet Dennys, a colleague two times over, had a decent line in this weekend's Mail on Sunday that would appear to speak to the theme aired on Betaville recently that some the big London-listed companies that raised money over the summer will once again be tapping up shareholders for fresh funds.
Below is a link to Harriet's piece, which would seem to suggest that easyJet might look to raise cash by issuing new shares or a convertible bond...
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...
Citigroup is today telling clients easyJet will have to launch a major cash call to raise between £700 million and a £1 billion.
Mark Manduca - airlines analyst at Citigroup, and son of City grandee and Prudential chairman Paul Manduca - reckons there is now a "high" probability the budget airline will have to carry out a rights issue in the coming weeks or months...
There is talk circulating the London market that one of Britain's biggest companies is set to launch a large cash call.
Reliable people familiar with the matter said the mystery company, thought to be in the FTSE 100 index, said the equity capital fundraising could be imminent.
However, it's not clear which blue chip company is going to kick off the rights issue or placing. If you think you have an idea, do get in touch via the usual channels, such as ben@betaville.co.uk...
Sir Stelios is WILLING to back a cash call at easyJet IF the airline cancels the £4.5 billion Airbus order, and throws out its chairman and chief executive.
I just needed to clear that point up following last week's Betaville piece, which suggested Sir Stelios might not be happy about a potential equity capital raising at easyJet...
Investors in funds run by Lansdowne Partners can sleep a little easier.
A corporate communicator for the hedgie got in touch with little old Betaville to claim the The Sunday Telegraph's line about Lansdowne's interest in buying Virgin Atlantic is "wrong".
Mmmmmmmm...I have pasted the statetment from the Lansdowne lackey below so dear reader you can make your own mind up...
If you weren't able to pick up a copy of the Mail on Sunday today you may not have noticed I had a chat with Sir Stelios about the company's board, the airline's precarious financial position and the possiblity of a cash call.
Sir Stelios was on rumbustious form, so I have pasted the link to the piece below if you missed piece:..
It appears Betaville isn't the only City watcher thinking the likes of International Consolidated Airlines Group is weighing an equity capital raising.
Word reaches me that Mark Manduca, a scribbler at Citigroup, has written a note to clients saying: "we cannot wholly rule out an equity capital raise at either IAG or easyJet."..
"Airlines have got shareholders who should put THEIR hands in their own pockets". That's what Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, just said when asked about whether UK-based airlines should be given government-backed bailouts on Radio 4 this morning...
If your into M&A crystal ball-gazing then Will Turvill's splash piece in the Mail on Sunday's business section is well worth a read...
Zak was down in the dumps today, so I cheered him up by blathering on for ten minutes about the curent red hot M&A market. Here is the link to today's session: