Defence sector sees M&A action, rising prices impact retailers and warnings about “Smishing” fraud

This week’s podcast looks into bids for two defence giants which are attracting government attention.  Private equity owned Cobham targets Ultra Electronics and US based Transdigm’s been told to put up or shut up when it comes to its interest in Meggit. Tom Sieber’s in the hotseat to talk about the FTSE 250 as many of the firms being targeted for takeover are mid-caps which may make financing deals easier for firms doing the buying.  With retail the main focus for US markets this week as a whole host of big retailers report their latest earnings, Danni Hewson has been picking through some of the winners and losers.  She’s also been chatting to Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO of Savvy Marketing about the state of retail in the UK and how shipping snarl ups and rising costs could impact the sector in the run up to Christmas. Plus, fraudsters focus on “smishing” – text message scams aimed at getting you to share your financial details.  We chat about what to look out for and how to avoid getting stung.  Plus Jenny Owen’s got wedding fever and explains how old cake is pulling in big money.