BUSINESS CLOSE: FTSE posts strong gain; SS&C confirms £1.2bn Blue Prism deal; activist investor demands Glencore offloads its coal business
The FTSE 100 index closed up 1.55 per cent or 109.23 points to 7,168.68 this afternoon, while the FTSE 250 index closed up 1.75 per cent or 393.01 points to 22,912.73.
The boards of SS&C and Blue Prism have agreed an acquisition deal, which will see the US investment firm buy the software company for 1,275p per share, a total of around £1.24billion on a fully diluted basis.
It follows a bidding war, with the Warrington-based Blue Prism having previously agreed to be acquired by American private equity firm Vista Equity Partners for 1,125p per share.
An activist hedge fund has demanded Glencore hive off its coal business to make it more attractive to eco-minded investors.
London-based Bluebell Capital Partners said Glencore’s plan to keep thermal coal in its portfolio until 2050 was ‘morally unacceptable and financially flawed’.
Facebook’s parent company Meta has been directed to sell GIF-sharing platform Giphy by a UK watchdog.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it was ‘protecting millions of social media users and promoting competition and innovation in digital advertising’.
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Bluebell Capital Partners says Glencore’s plans to maintain thermal coal in its portfolio until 2050 is ‘morally unacceptable and financially flawed’