Recent articles

Knowledge, relationships, inclusion and balance: Advice for women in IR

Oct 21, 2019

More than 100 people gathered in Toronto earlier this month for the latest installment of IR Magazine’s women in IR series of events – all focusing on the question of how to achieve greater gender balance in the investor relations profession. The series was sparked by IR Magazine’s discovery that women are less likely to hold senior IR positions than their male counterparts - despite a 50/50 gender split in the profession - and that the women...

Shareholder targeting & ID

Manulife IRO feels the Mifid II effect in Europe

Oct 18, 2019

Ben Ashwell

Manulife IRO feels the Mifid II effect in Europe

The effects of Mifid II have so far been muted in Canada, but speakers at the recent IR Magazine – Think Tank Canada indicated that this could be changing, particularly when it comes to targeting in Europe. Adrienne O’Neill, global head of investor relations at Manulife, explained that the company has been undertaking efforts to diversify its investor base in Europe and Asia for several years. As a result, she has noticed a difference in how investment banks in ...

Activism

The week in investor relations: Trade war is ‘new normal’, fund managers avoid unicorns and companies under more pressure over climate change

Oct 18, 2019

Tim Human

The week in investor relations: Trade war is ‘new normal’, fund managers avoid unicorns and companies under more pressure over climate change

– A majority of investors think the US-China trade war is the ‘new normal’, according to a survey of global fund managers conducted by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, reports Marketwatch. The survey finds that 43 percent of respondents think there is no end in sight to the trade dispute, compared with 36 percent who think it will be resolved bef...

Technology & Social Media

Five tips to get the most out of webcasting

Oct 18, 2019

Katrin Pohl

Five tips to get the most out of webcasting

Sponsored content There are many benefits to webcasting, including cost savings, efficiency and expanded reach. This is evidenced by the growing number of public companies that are using webcasting tools for a variety of different investor and analyst events. In this article we outline some best practices and top tips that can help you enhance your webcasting use. Give them something to look at Historically a lot of webcast...

Regulation

CII ramps up pursuit of dual-class sunsets

Oct 17, 2019

Ben Maiden

CII ramps up pursuit of dual-class sunsets

The Council of Institutional Investors (CII) has asked the SEC to seek authority enabling the commission to, in effect, require companies to limit the length of time company founders can exert outsize control over companies after they go public. CII general counsel Jeffrey Mahoney notes in a letter sent to the SEC earlier this month that the group ...

Buy side

RBC GAM: Why company leaders should care about ESG

Oct 16, 2019

Catherine Banat

RBC GAM: Why company leaders should care about ESG

‘Responsible investing’ is an umbrella term used to describe the broad range of approaches that can be used to incorporate ESG considerations into the investment process. A decade ago there was prevailing skepticism in the investment community about the impact these non-financial factors might have on prices for equities or bonds. Today, however, investors and market observers have begun to realize the value and importance of ESG factors. At RBC Global Asset Man...

Sell side

UK companies see wider fall in analyst coverage than European peers, finds research

Oct 16, 2019

Tim Human

UK companies see wider fall in analyst coverage than European peers, finds research

Following the arrival of Mifid II, UK companies are more likely to have lost analyst coverage than their European counterparts, according to new research. More than half of UK companies (52 percent) say the number of sell-side analysts covering them fell over the last year, reports Citigate Dewe Rogerson in its annual survey of IR professionals. By contrast, only 39 percent of non-UK European companies report a drop in coverage. UK issuers are also experienci...

Case studies

Guidance changes, management access and teamwork: Inside IR at Biocartis

Oct 16, 2019

Tim Human

Guidance changes, management access and teamwork: Inside IR at Biocartis

They say IR truly shows its worth in challenging conditions – and that’s precisely what Biocartis faced in September when the molecular diagnostics company announced its half-year results. A slowdown in growth in the US market meant Biocartis needed to revise down its annual guidance, leading to a share price fall of a third in just one day. While little could be done about the initial share price fall, Biocartis worked hard to reassure investors that lessons we...

ESG

Directors tiring of diversity and ESG focus, survey finds

Oct 15, 2019

Ben Maiden

Directors tiring of diversity and ESG focus, survey finds

Diversity and ESG issues have been prominent on investor and board agendas in recent years, but a new survey suggests some directors are becoming fatigued by the attention placed on these issues. According to the PwC survey, 63 percent of directors polled say investors devote too much attention to board gender diversity, up from 35 percent last year. Fifty-eight percent have the same view of racial/ethnic diversity, an increase from 33 percent in 2018. The pr...

Case studies

The week in investor relations: Hong Kong drops LSE bid, climate proposals fall by half and Renault fires CEO

Oct 11, 2019

Tim Human

The week in investor relations: Hong Kong drops LSE bid, climate proposals fall by half and Renault fires CEO

– The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong has dropped its £32 bn ($40 bn) bid for the London Stock Exchange (LSE), reports the Guardian. The Asian bourse said it had been ‘unable to engage’ with the LSE’s management on the deal. The LSE rejected the initial bid four weeks ago, saying it would be a ‘significant backward step’ and had ‘fundamental flaws’. ...

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