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Markets2 August 2026
Sainsbury's got most of its money back from Argos, and the integration did roughly what management said it would. The problem is what the capital earned in the meantime: Argos now makes a 0.2% margin.
Sainsbury'sArgosRetailPrivate Equity
Gaurav Bohra10 min read
Read ArticleMarketsGlobal Healthcare2 August 2026
Big Pharma is acquiring earlier and accepting greater scientific risk for unproven drugs. The driver is not confidence in the science but the fear of a rival securing the next blockbuster first, as a $300bn patent cliff bears down on the industry.
PharmaceuticalsMergers and AcquisitionsBiotechnologyPatent Cliff
Abdul Wasey Bhatti8 min read
Read ArticleMarketsGlobal Healthcare16 July 2026
A $200 million upfront payment, with milestones potentially taking the deal's total value to $1.9 billion, gives AstraZeneca exclusive rights to develop and commercialise an experimental COPD treatment outside China. More importantly, it highlights a broader shift in how Big Pharma is sourcing innovation.
AstraZenecaPharmaceuticalsBiotechChinaCOPD
Abdul Wasey Bhatti4 min read
Read ArticleMacro15 July 2026
China's factories are shipping more than they have in years, driven by an AI-fuelled tech boom. Yet second-quarter growth still slowed to 4.3%, its weakest in decades outside the pandemic, a reminder that strong exports don't always mean a strong economy.
Raghu Kohli6 min read
Read ArticleThe Bank of Japan has raised its policy rate five times since 2024, yet the yen just hit a forty year low. Here is what two years of tightening have actually changed, and what is likely to happen next.
Bank of JapanInterest RatesYenJapan
Rohan Talwar13 min read
Read ArticleMarketsPrivate Equity6 July 2026
A £5.7bn approach for DCC is as much a bet on the Irish conglomerate's years-long transformation into an energy distributor as it is a straightforward take-private deal, and it says as much about KKR's ambitions as it does about DCC itself.
KKRDCCEnergyMergers and Acquisitions
Sonal Weerasekera7 min read
Read ArticleMarketsGlobal Healthcare3 July 2026
As NHS waiting lists for autism assessments pass 200,000, private capital is flowing into neurodiversity services – forcing the question of whether profit and patient care can ever be aligned.
Private EquityHealthcareAutismNeurodiversityNHS
Abdul Wasey Bhatti8 min read
Read ArticleMarketsGlobal Healthcare26 June 2026
A single FDA reversal sent Regenxbio's shares soaring and reignited optimism across gene therapy - but one favourable decision cannot solve the commercial challenges that pushed the industry into crisis.
Gene TherapyBiotechnologyFDAHealthcare
Abdul Wasey Bhatti6 min read
Read ArticleThe DOJ says criminal charges are now on the table for firms that use algorithms to coordinate prices. The question at the heart of the case is whether software can produce cartel-like outcomes without anyone picking up a phone.
Algorithmic PricingAntitrustCollusionRealPageCompetition
Jay Patel10 min read
Read ArticlePeace on the warfront provides an opening to sift through the rubble and take account of the damage done so far.
Martim Domingos9 min read
Read ArticleMarkets22 June 2026
Five years after TDR Capital and the Issa brothers' £6.8bn leveraged buyout, Asda has posted a £989mn loss and seen its UK grocery market share fall to a record low. The question is whether the private equity playbook is compatible with running a thin-margin grocer in one of the world's most competitive retail markets.
Private EquitySupermarketsAsdaDebt
Sonal Weerasekera8 min read
Read ArticleMarkets19 June 2026
Boots looked like a deal story, but choosing a $10bn sale over a London float is really a verdict on the IPO: when a listing can't promise a price or a date, certainty wins.
Private EquityIPOsBootsLondon Stock Exchange
Abir Ghosh Biswas6 min read
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