British businesses worth more than half a trillion pounds in total could quit the stock market, analysts have warned.
At least ten of the biggest companies in the blue-chip FTSE 100 index are thought to be at risk of leaving the London Stock Exchange (LSE), either by being taken over or moving overseas, particularly to Wall Street.
Among them is the £158 billion drug giant AstraZeneca, the UK’s largest quoted company, which sparked alarm last week after reports emerged that it was considering shifting its main listing to the US.
Other stock market giants may also be considering an exit strategy within the next three years, experts say. They include British American Tobacco, the £77 billion owner of cigarette brands Pall Mall and Lucky Strike. Its value could ‘more…
