Activist beat puts corporates in a flap

Spectacular gains can be made by investors willing to intervene in how companies are run

Monday 8 July 2013 at 17:00

Activist butterflies are flapping their wings in the corporate jungle. There aren’t many of them as yet but their success will set a gale blowing through the corporate sector, where prospects are improving after years of easy money.

For the record, activists buy large stakes in target companies, with a view to boosting their value by lobbying for improvements in their governance and strategy.