With a sense of creeping inevitability, the much-discussed
GAM Investments
/
Liontrust Asset Management PLC
deal fell through, with only around one-third of shareholders swayed by the UK asset manager’s overtures. While this dominated breaking headlines – and provided ample tit-for-tat in the week prior to the deadline – what else stood out from the previous week?
- The week kicked off with an intelligence chat about artificial intelligence featuring
晨星
's CIO,
Mike Coop
. Coop joined Citywire Selector’s news editor,
Ian Heath
, to talk about the comparative excitement and danger which surrounds expansion in this area. He also looked at whether AI can ever truly be an ally to financial services or whether it will be a competitor.
- Sticking with the podcast theme, I spoke to Mervyn King, with the former governor of the Bank of England voicing concern and surprise at the current path central banks are taking. In a wide-ranging chat – which also included a segue into Saudi Arabia’s sudden football fascination – Mervyn King spoke eloquently about the need for far-reaching and innovation banking regulation.
- Rounding out where we started, the collapse of the GAM/Liontrust tie-up forced the Swiss asset manager to engage with NewGAMe, a group which it had derided during the entire takeover process. In this analysis, I looked why I think the deal wasn’t a success (hint: it references the image at the top of this round-up) and what steps are likely to follow.
