Activism Archive

Worldwide, there has been a 15 percent drop in the number of companies publicly subjected to activist demands so far this year, according to Activist Insight data on campaigns to the end of May.   Even so, more than 500 companies globally have been publicly subjected to activist demands so far in 2019, ‘although that is down from 619 in 2018’s record-breaking start to the year,’ notes Activist Insight. The decline in activism this year has actually pic...

The number of Canadian firms publicly targeted by activist investors in the first quarter of 2019 is down 43 percent on the same period last year. Whereas Q1 2018 saw 32 firms come under attack by activists, data from Activist Insight shows that just 18 were the subject of a campaign in Q1 2019. ‘Activism has slowed in Canada this year, partly because mining stocks have rallied after last year’s bear market and begun to address their weakness through M&am...

A leading New York policy wonk has criticized the shareholding and activist process in the US, with a particular condemnation of ESG issues and the influence of special interest groups, in testimony given to a Senate committee hearing this week. James Copland, director of legal policy at the New York-based conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, listed a number of issues to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs that ...

Britain’s upcoming AGM season could be a sparky affair, after 15 asset managers at the Investment Association’s (IA) corporate governance and engagement committee have decided on three topics to put to public companies at shareholder meetings. The committee, chaired by Jessica Ground, global head of stewardship at Schroders, is helping to set the framework for the grilling of companies on diversity, excessive pension payouts to bosses and poor-quality audits –...