Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, billionaire investor George Soros and activist hedge fund Third Point were among the 16 investors given preferential treament in the controversial Royal Mail privatisation.
The Government on Wednesday released details of these preferred investment firms, who saw their shares jump 38pc rise on the first day of trading, while thousands of small private investors missed out after the Government imposed a cap of £10,000 on them.
Other preferential investors included Lazard Asset Management, the investment arm of the government’s independent adviser on the privatisation, Capital Research, Fidelity Worldwide, GIC, Henderson, JP Morgan, Kuwait Investment Office, Lansdowne Partners, , Och Ziff, Schroders, Standard Life, and Threadneedle.
The Government, which has insisted that Royal Mail was not sold on the cheap, has been under pressure to release the names of "pilot fishing investors".
Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, clashed with David Cameron at Prime Minister's Question Time. He said some of the firms invited to invest in the business were given a "golden ticket" and had made a "fast buck" by selling the shares as their price soared, with some selling on the first day of privatisation. » | Telegraph Staff | Wednesday, April 30, 2014
