London's stock exchange needs a shot in the arm from the Treasury | Nils Pratley
Briefly

A marketing campaign promoting the joys of investing in the London stock market is necessary to counteract declining engagement. Since 2016, 143 UK-listed firms have transitioned to private equity, highlighting the need for more corporate transparency and accountability within the public market. Many investors fear traditional investments more than cryptocurrencies. The UK Treasury's push for pension funds to invest in private markets, despite the ongoing crisis in public equities, raises concerns. Additionally, there has been a marked decrease in domestic equity investments held by UK funds, necessitating urgent action to attract investments back to the London Stock Exchange.
A new narrative is needed to stop the London Stock Exchange drifting into irrelevance. Since 2016, 143 UK-listed companies have exited to private equity takeovers.
Julia Hoggett stated that a lot of investors are more fearful of investing in the real economy than in cryptocurrency, which is a perverse state of affairs.
It remains baffling that the chancellor has cajoled UK pension funds to pour money into private markets while the greater crisis lies in the public arena.
The decline in the proportion of UK equities held by UK insurance and pension funds dropped from 45.7% in 1997 to just 4.2% in 2022.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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