UK

Lawrence Stroll, the billionaire and Formula One racing magnate, has been instrumental in pushing ahead with UK car manufacturer Aston Martin’s capital raise, restructured on Friday, meaning the company’s turnaround plan, which includes a rights issue, is still going ahead.

Finablr’s shares have been suspended and the company has warned that it may go out of business just ten months after ts IPO.

Premier Oil’s stock surged by more than 65% on Friday after the company gave an update on its cash position following this week’s equity market slump, a positive for the banks working on its rights issue. However, the deal also hinges on a court case in Scotland.

Bankers are confident that companies up and down the ratings scale can lean on their lending groups during market volatility. But borrowers in the most stretched groups are not waiting to find out, with some clients already drawing their lines, adding backup loans, and trying to negotiate waivers on debt limits. Silas Brown, Jon Hay and Owen Sanderson report.

JP Morgan has appointed James Mazur, a former hedge fund executive, as head of private syndicate in its EMEA equity capital markets private placements business.

Investec Group has cancelled the IPO of its asset management division Ninety One due to extreme market volatility, although the listing and demerger of the unit will still go ahead as planned, according to a stock exchange filing.

Finablr, the parent company of Travelex, has issued a warning that it may struggle to access financing due to the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus and its association with NMC Health, causing its share price to slump to a record low.

Aston Martin, the troubled UK car maker, was set to launch a rights issue process next week, but severe equity market volatility means that the company’s shares are now trading below the subscription price in the capital raise. Sources are now questioning whether a deal is viable.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak did not change the lending levels for local authorities in his Spring Budget — apart from cuts to borrowing costs for social housing projects — keeping alive the prospect of capital markets providing UK councils with a cheaper financing alternative.

The UK has pledged £30bn ($37.62bn) of stimulus to cushion the coronavirus pandemic’s economic impact, and now the Debt Management Office’s remit is expected to be £40bn higher than last year. But the Budget, delivered by UK chancellor Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, seemed to have little effect on Gilt yields, despite rising on the day.

Costain Group, the UK construction and engineering firm, has unveiled a £100m capital increase to shore up its balance sheet following a disappointing set of 2019 results.

What a time to be a new UK chancellor of the exchequer preparing to make your maiden Budget speech, as Rishi Sunak will do on Wednesday. He has motive and opportunity to borrow big and pay little for it. Brexit and the coronavirus outbreak mean a lot of spending will need to be funded to keep the UK economy running. But how the cash is deployed will shape the government's credibility in the eyes of Gilt investors.