Schwimmer says major London IPOs 'in pipeline'

THERE will be a bounce back in large companies looking to float in the UK this year the boss of the London Stock Exchange predicted today as he insisted that the market remains "core" to the wider business and will not be sold to foreign predators.

- Simon English

After a moribund couple of years for London floats which have seen big companies such as Arm prefer to list in New York, David Schwimmer says there is now "an encouraging IPO pipeline for the London Stock Exchange".

That could include fashion giant Shein, the Chinese company that would be the second biggest London float in history after Glencore if it picks London over the US, as seems increasingly likely.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt met Shein recently to push London's case.

Schwimmer says large companies accept that global political uncertainty is unlikely to disappear and are "finding a greater level of comfort" about the macro-economic environment, with inflation falling.