Market Maker

Some of Britain's biggest high street brands are changing hands. From the £6.7bn Boots takeover to Starbucks' rumoured acquisition of Chipotle and PizzaExpress potentially being sold again, what's driving this wave of deals?

This week, Anthony Cheung and Stephen Barnett explore the private equity shake-up transforming UK retail, how billionaire investors make money from familiar brands, and why rising interest rates are forcing firms to rethink their investments.

We unpack the financial engineering behind leveraged buyouts, the strategy behind the Boots acquisition, and what it all means for the future of Britain's high street.

Is private equity helping or hurting the brands we know and love? Let us know in the comments.

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00:00 The UK High Street Shake-Up
00:58 HSBC Banker's Train Fare Scandal
04:15 Starbucks & Chipotle Merger Rumours
07:03 Starbucks' Hidden Money Machine
13:07 The CEO Who Transformed Chipotle
20:43 Boots' £6.7BN Takeover
24:04 Inside the Private Equity Deal
31:18 Meet the Billionaire Weston Family
39:10 Private Equity's High Street Takeover
42:07 Pizza Express Private Equity Journey
48:23 Why Rising Interest Rates Matter

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How do the world's biggest banks and investment firms actually make their money?

In this episode, Anthony Cheung and Piers Curran break down the latest Wall Street earnings from JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and BlackRock, revealing the business models driving billions in profits.

We explore how JPMorgan has built a record-breaking $100 billion net interest income machine, why Goldman Sachs is benefiting from the SpaceX IPO, and how rising bond yields and volatile stock markets are creating very different fortunes across investment bank trading desks.

We also unpack BlackRock's extraordinary $15.5 trillion in assets under management, its expansion into private credit and the hidden power of its Aladdin technology platform. Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley's wealth management business is booming, fuelled by newly wealthy SpaceX shareholders and the prospect of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history.

Finally, we ask which financial giant has the stronger long-term business model: JPMorgan or BlackRock? And with inflation rising, interest rates under pressure and the AI investment boom facing a crucial earnings season, what could come next for Wall Street?

00:00 How Wall Street Makes Money
01:07 Wall Street Earnings & Inflation
06:43 Is the AI Boom at Risk?
11:28 Why Bond Trading Is Struggling
15:58 JPMorgan's $100bn Money Machine
20:49 The Great Mortgage Risk
26:14 Goldman Sachs & SpaceX
29:33 Anthropic's IPO Plans
34:15 BlackRock's $15.5 Trillion Empire
42:43 Roles in Asset Management
46:30 Morgan Stanley's Wealth Boom
53:36 JPMorgan vs BlackRock: Who Wins?

If you’re a regular listener to the show, please take a few mins to fill in our podcast survey. Your input will help us make the show even bigger and better in 2027! Thank you 🙏

How does a billion-dollar M&A deal actually happen? From winning the mandate to negotiating the final sale, what really goes on behind the scenes at investment banks like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan?

In this episode, Anthony Cheung and Stephen Barnett break down the entire mergers and acquisitions (M&A) process, drawing on Stephen's experience in investment banking to explain how deals are pitched, structured, negotiated and ultimately completed.

We explore how investment banks compete for lucrative advisory mandates, the difference between buy-side and sell-side transactions, and how companies are valued and marketed to potential buyers. Along the way, we unpack the jargon of M&A, from beauty parades and confidential information memorandums (CIMs) to due diligence, letters of intent and sale and purchase agreements.

Using Schneider Electric's $22.6 billion acquisition of PTC as a real-world example, we reveal the roles of bankers, lawyers and private equity firms throughout the dealmaking process, offering a practical guide for anyone looking to break into investment banking or better understand how major corporate transactions work.

00:00 Introduction to M&A Deals
06:26 How Banks Win M&A Mandates
12:59 Investment Banking Bake-Offs
15:29 Why Banks Share M&A Deals
20:23 How M&A Advisory Fees Work
23:24 Conflicts of Interest & Compliance
28:31 Preparing a Company for Sale
33:20 Teasers & Confidentiality Agreements
36:30 The Role Of Lawyers
38:25 Inside the M&A Data Room
40:35 Bidding Wars & Due Diligence
45:11 Choosing the Winning Bid
46:04 Final Negotiations & Closing
49:06 Deal Toys & Banking Traditions

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M&A Jargon Explained

M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions): The process of companies buying, selling or combining businesses.

Buy-Side Mandate: When an investment bank advises a company looking to make an acquisition.

Sell-Side Mandate: When an investment bank advises a company looking to sell.

Beauty Parade / Bake-Off: A competitive pitching process where investment banks compete to win an advisory mandate.

Teaser: A short, anonymous summary of a business being marketed for sale.

NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement): A legal agreement protecting confidential information shared during a deal.

CIM (Confidential Information Memorandum): A detailed document outlining a company's operations, financials and growth prospects for potential buyers.

Data Room: A secure online platform containing confidential documents for prospective buyers.

IOI (Indication of Interest): An initial, typically non-binding expression of interest in acquiring a business.

Due Diligence: The detailed investigation of a company's finances, operations, legal obligations and risks before acquisition.

LOI (Letter of Intent): A document outlining a prospective buyer's proposed terms for an acquisition.

Pre-emptive Bid: An early offer designed to secure a deal before the competitive bidding process finishes.

Exclusivity Period: A period when the seller agrees to negotiate with one preferred buyer.

SPA (Sale and Purchase Agreement): The legally binding contract setting out the terms of an acquisition.

Deal Tombstone: A commemorative desk ornament celebrating a completed transaction.

France is facing mounting pressure. Government debt has climbed above €3.5 trillion, borrowing costs are surging, and political uncertainty ahead of the 2027 presidential election is making investors increasingly nervous.

In this episode, Anthony Cheung and Piers Curran break down why French bond yields are rising, how decades of persistent budget deficits have created a growing debt problem, and why some major French companies can now borrow more cheaply than their own government.

We look at Marine Le Pen’s economic plans, France’s huge pension burden, the risk of capital leaving French markets and what could happen if bond yields continue to climb. Could the ECB eventually be forced to intervene, and would that bring the kind of painful fiscal reforms seen during the Eurozone debt crisis?

Finally, we ask whether France could be heading towards its own “Liz Truss moment” and what a French debt crisis could mean for the euro, European markets and the wider global economy.

00:00 Is France About to Fail?
01:09 France’s Bond Market Warning
07:07 The Debt Problem Explained
12:06 France’s €85bn Interest Bill
15:56 Why Italy Is Doing Better
22:10 Protests & Political Pressure
29:25 Will the ECB Bail Out France?
36:55 Lessons From Greece
40:47 Could France Default?
44:28 The Trade on France
47:03 What Happens Next?

Could UBS really leave Switzerland? In this episode, Anthony Cheung and Stephen Barnett break down the growing dispute between Switzerland’s biggest bank and the government over new capital requirements and why tougher regulation could have major consequences for UBS and its shareholders.

We explain how banks actually work, why Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital matters, what changed after the collapse of Credit Suisse and why forcing banks to hold more capital can make them safer but potentially less competitive.

We also look at the battle between traditional banks and fintech challengers, as Monzo considers its next move following takeover interest from Nubank. With Revolut racing ahead and Monzo looking for fresh capital, we explore why some challenger banks have succeeded while others have struggled to scale and what could happen next.

00:00 The Ultimate Banking Mistake
04:10 How Banks Really Work
06:41 What Is CET1?
12:44 Why Banks Are Too Big to Fail
20:18 UBS vs Switzerland
27:54 Why UBS Is Fighting Back
32:23 How UBS Compares
38:35 What’s Happening at Monzo?
46:51 How Challenger Banks Work
49:05 Revolut vs Monzo
52:30 What Happens Next?