Stuart Fraser Quotations

There are some encouraging signs. They're going in the right direction. Still, they've got quite a job in front of them.

There is no pressure on Clara. Maybe she thinks the Nasdaq offer is not the final offer, and she's waiting for a higher bid.

Ports are a growth business on a global scale. For Dubai it would be a strategic investment for the long-term.

I disagree with people who think that the market got ahead of itself and that there will be a sell-off,

We're ending the year on a pretty good note. The general news background has been quite positive.

We're not particularly concerned about rises in interest rates in the medium term. It's a red herring to markets and people can get too carried away.

We have seen quite a few people walk away from deals after the management rejects it. Interest rates are going up. Debt financing is costing more, so that's going to put a bit of pressure on what people can bid for.

We've had a good run, particularly in the UK and Europe, we've had a good start to this year. Most people's (year) targets were for 6,000.

Technology is here to stay. There is long-term growth in the industry.

Punch thinks they can still do these larger takeovers, and Enterprise is looking at disposals and returning money to shareholders. Punch is the more aggressive player.

Private-equity firms like strong cash flow and you have that in a betting operation. I think they want to get in there before a possible IPO.

This is encouraging because it gives a clearer view of where they want to be. With pest control they're focusing on what they do best and where the company began.

It's a nice price, but there might be some other parts of the business to be knocked off too. The management needs to make a fist of its strategy. Otherwise we'll see some bid activity.

It only just entered China, and there's plenty to do there, so there's concern the management may get stretched.

It's the end of a saga that devalues the Gerry Robinson brand - it was greedy of him to want such a huge salary. We'll wait and see how well Flynn gets to grip with things as this has cost him a lot of time.

The background has been encouraging so I don't think it's just a Christmas rally to expire completely in January. We've seen good confidence numbers from the U.S. and Germany, stronger growth, inflation well contained. The oil price is admittedly sticking a bit around $60 but it isn't going up anymore.

The U.S. has been a graveyard for U.K. retailers, so investors are a little cautious. It could be that it wants to a get a flavor for the market through a small operation and then make a massive acquisition to get instant size.

Size and leverage and balance sheets will overcome the protectionism.

The concern is there'll be less capital investment and fewer buybacks.