Making the mostof takeovers

Takeovers of companies like BHS and Selfridges show there is money to be made in M&A. Current market conditions point to an increase in such activity, which is good news if you are invested in the equities involved

With the FTSE 100 up by almost a quarter since it troughed on 11 March this year, it is surely past time we saw some evidence of this new mood in the results of its constituents. After three years of doing not much more than cutting costs and lashing themselves to their respective masts, it seems as if the stored up potential in 'UK plc' is slowly starting to be released. At the time of writing, 19 of the 30 FTSE 100 companies that have reported either quarterly or half-yearly results have revealed a rise in operating profits, with 13 of these reporting double-digit increases. This le...