Archive for January 2021
What can investors learn about Labour’s economic policy from the Mais Lecture?
Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor of the exchequer, on Wednesday, 13th of January delivered the Mais Lecture, regarded as the leading event for the banking and finance community for the City of London to the Business School at City University. This year’s lecture was titled, ‘The challenges of the post-Covid, post-Brexit UK economy – a…
Read MoreShould online trading platforms be subject to greater regulatory scrutiny?
One of the key factors behind the recent stock market surge, which has propelled the S&P500 up 72% from its March 2020 lows, has been the growth of online trading platforms which have allowed millions of new retail investors to have unrestrained access to financial markets. Lax regulation has been a major contributor to their…
Read MoreS&P Global to merge with IHS Markit for 44 billion USD
In what is expected to be the biggest all-stock deal of 2020, S&P Global has entered into an agreement to merge with London-based IHS Markit to create a data goliath. At the same time, M&A activity reached a record high in Q3 with more than 1 trillion USD worth of transactions, mostly focused on coronavirus-resilient…
Read MoreFacebook’s Acquisition of Kustomer – What Makes This Unique?
Despite the decline in M&A activity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as recent scrutiny over possible infringement of antitrust laws, Facebook’s pursuit to cement itself at the forefront of social media companies has not ceased. On the 30th of November 2020, Facebook announced its acquisition of Kustomer, a top-rated Customer Relations…
Read MoreBig Oil – A Year in Review & Tomorrow’s Corporate Strategy
The climate change crisis has increasingly found its way into the boardrooms of the world’s largest oil companies, perpetuated recently by the most turbulent year in decades for producers, highlighting the need for the creation of new operational strategies. After years of environmentalist action, blaming these corporations not only for alarming levels of global emissions…
Read MoreWhy Ultra-Rare Rhodium Ended-Up as the Top Performing Commodity of 2020
As of the beginning of this year, the price of the rare transition metal rhodium has risen from 6000 USD to 20,000 USD per troy ounce (circa 31g, slightly heavier than the traditional empirical ounce). This gain of over 300% surpasses every individual company on the S&P 500 index and well outstrips other top performing…
Read MoreBig Data: A Healthcare Transformation
The healthcare system has seen a move towards the digitisation of medical data over the past decade. Where it had previously been commonplace to store medical records in the form of handwritten or typed reports, the advancement of computer systems has precipitated the digitisation of clinical exams and medical records. Electronic health records (EHRs) have…
Read MoreAstraZeneca-Alexion Merger
On the 13th of December AstraZeneca announced the acquisition of rare disease specialist Alexion. The deal, worth 15 billion USD, capped a busy year for AstraZeneca during which the development of its vaccine with Oxford University had temporarily made it the most valuable FTSE 100 company. After the deal, Alexion’s shareholders now own 15 percent…
Read MoreBiden’s Stimulus Plan and What it Means for the Economy
After winning both Senate seats in January’s special election in Georgia, Democrats have gained unified control of both houses of Congress. This significantly increases President Biden’s ability to sign new legislation, including the long-promised stimulus package in response to COVID-19. President Biden called for a 1.9 trillion USD relief package on Thursday (January 14th) that…
Read MoreIs NIO driving its way to the top of the electric car manufacturing industry after the release of the ET7 Sedan?
Electric car manufacturer NIO made shockwaves in the electric vehicle (EV) industry after the release of its new luxury sedan, the ET7. The announcement sent its stock price up by 14%. The company’s latest car takes to the market at 69,000 USD and exceeds the charge mileage (the distance the car can travel on one…
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