Playtech, JKO ask Takeover Panel for more time

London open

The FTSE 100 was called to open down around 28 points.

Stocks to watch

Gambling software maker Playtech and potential bidder JKO have asked Britain’s Takeover Panel for more time for the latter to declare its intentions on any takeover offer.

Playtech said it was also postponing court and shareholder meetings relating to the offer by Aristocrat Leisure Limited, previously scheduled for January 12 to February 2.

Aristocrat is the current frontrunner to acquire Playtech after the two businesses agreed to a £2.7bn deal in October.

“Playtech and JKO Play have requested the Panel set a revised deadline, aligned to this new date for the shareholder meetings, by which JKO must clarify its intentions in relation to Playtech,” the company said.

Newspaper round-up

European gas prices have risen by more than 30% on Tuesday, adding to mounting concerns about the cost of heating a home, as supplies that usually come into Europe from Siberia continued to flow eastwards for the 15th day in a row. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied using Russia’s vast gas resources to turn the screw on Europe, after gas coming through the Yamal-Europe pipeline reversed direction three days before Christmas. – Guardian

Fossil fuel companies and firms that work closely with them are among the biggest spenders on ads designed to look like Google search results, in what campaigners say is an example of “endemic greenwashing”. The Guardian analysed ads served on Google search results for 78 climate-related terms, in collaboration with InfluenceMap, a thinktank that tracks the lobbying efforts of polluting industries. - Guardian

Fears of New Year chaos at Britain’s borders have so far proven unfounded after the introduction of additional post-Brexit customs checks. Port bosses said there is cautious optimism that the controls imposed on Jan 1 have been rolled out without major disruption for importers, despite warnings that lorries were at risk of being turned away. - Telegraph

British Lithium has taken a crucial step towards commercial production in the UK in a boost for the country’s electric car drive. The company’s pilot plant in Cornwall is now capable of making 5kg a day of lithium carbonate, which is regarded as more cost-effective for mass market cars than the lithium hydroxide used in more expensive models. - Telegraph

The private equity firm behind a £1.2 billion bid for Clinigen is under pressure to raise its offer, with Elliott Management understood to be among several hedge funds believing that it undervalues the drugs provider. Triton Investment Management’s 883p-a-share cash offer for Clinigen was recommended by the British company’s board last month. The proposal is at a 41 per cent premium to Clinigen’s ex-dividend share price at the start of the month, before the offer period began. - The Times

US Close

Wall Street stock markets closed in a mixed fashion on Tuesday, with the Dow reaching a new all-time high, following the release of slightly weaker-than-expected economic data.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.59% at 36,799.65, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.06% to 4,793.54, with lagging technology plays dragging the Nasdaq Composite down 1.33% to settle at 15,622.72.