At 4.36pm on 10 August, industrial thread manufacturer Coats (COA) announced its second acquisition in as many months. Not only was this unusual behaviour in that Coats rarely buys companies, but it also asked retail investors for financial help.Historically Coats has relied upon bank debt for financing and used that money, along with internally generated cash, for deals.The fact retail...

UK stocks opened stronger on Monday and were continuing to hover just under multi-year highs touched in January, as investors looked past fears over hot inflation to focus on global recovery hopes.By 8:42 am, the FTSE 100 index was up 0.1% at 7,524.03 points, while the FTSE 250 traded 0.2% higher at 21,753.76.Miners were in demand, as an ongoing inflationary environment should be positive for...

Micro cap television producer Zinc Media (ZIN:AIM) has renewed focus after exiting its loss-making publishing business. It is now seeking to consolidate a fragmented independent TV production sector.Formerly called Ten Alps, and part-founded by pop star Bob Geldof, the company was renamed earlier this year as part of its shift in strategy. It now specialises in factual programming, receivinga...