The week in investor relations: Alibaba considers second listing, and Trump threatens more tariffs

At the weekend, payments and foreign exchange company Finablr highlighted how it plans to use half of the proceeds from its share sale in London earlier in May to expand, reported Reuters.

On Monday, stocks in Europe saw a rise after it was viewed that populist parties gained less ground than expected in the EU-wide parliamentary elections, reported The Wall Street Journal. 

Also at the start of the week, Bloomberg reported that tech giant Alibaba is considering a second $20 bn listing in Hong Kong.  

Data-mining company Palantir’s much-awaited IPO is set to move to 2020, according to Bloomberg. The company is taking its time preparing for its stock market debut, says the report. 

Investors grew nervous about Italy amid growing concerns the country is set for another showdown with the EU, reported the WSJ.

The Financial Times reported a rise in the shares of LA-based producer of plant-based meat substitutes Beyond Meat, thanks to its Europe plans and analysts’ optimism regarding the company. 

New York has overtaken London to become the world’s leading financial center, with the move being blamed on the Brexit chaos, reported London’s Evening Standard. 

Looking at Indian Prime Minister Modi’s re-election victory, IR Magazine, courtesy of Anuj Sonpal from Valorem Advisors, looked at what this will mean for Indian markets and IR. 

On Thursday, Facebook shareholders failed to oust Mark Zuckerberg as chairman, reported the Daily Telegraph. Various motions – including one to end Zuckerberg’s ‘failing autocracy’ and enable shareholders to have a remedy against ‘a seemingly endless stream of controversies and data breaches’ – all failed. This was predictable, given that Zuckerberg has control over 57.7 percent of Facebook’s voting rights.

In what looked like retaliation for US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on Huawei Technologies, China further escalated its trade spat with the US, saying it would create a blacklist of foreign entities that are deemed to harm Chinese businesses, reported the WSJ.

According to a report from CNN, Wall Street is betting that if the market falls far enough the White House will find a way to make a trade settlement with China rather than risk Trump losing the 2020 presidential election. 

The board of US TV network CBS is preparing for deal talks with Viacom, according to CNBC. Talks are due to start in mid-June.

On Friday, London’s main index saw a fall of almost 1 percent after Trump’s threatened tariffs on Mexico and poor manufacturing data from China focused minds on the possibility of a global slowdown, reported the Daily Telegraph. 

Also on Friday, Uber revealed it had made a $1 bn loss, compounding its disappointing Wall Street debut, reported Sky News. 

Ahead of the NIRI conference next week in Phoenix Arizona, IR Magazine published its summer issue, featuring a preview of the key issues to be discussed at the event.