RARE Alert: Apollo/Casual Dining Group said to be circling the Restaurant Group

Loyal readers will have picked up on my scepticism about the recent Restaurant Group bid rumours in my "Burnt fingers" series. However, perhaps too much time in journalism (over a decade now) can make you too cynical.

So, I'm prepared to air a Restaurant Group takeover tale that I have stumbled across recently as it contains a lot more detail than your standard "private equity" bid rumours that go around the market every couple of weeks.

Quelle Surprise: ICE weighs counter bid for LSE

Bloomberg landed a good hit last night, revealing the ICE is working with Morgan Stanley on a counter offer for the LSE. Here is the link:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-29/ice-said-to-explore-rival-bid-for-lse-to-thwart-deutsche-boerse

Sky's the limit - part 2

A lot has been made of the quote that James Murdoch gave to the Hollywood Reporter a few months ago.

Indeed, the quote appears to have triggered banker gossip - highlighted by the Financial Times yesterday - that perhaps the Murdochs/Fox are sellers of the 40pc stake in Sky.

Flag pole alert - part 3

The broker upgrades are coming thick and fast following Bryce Elder's piece on Imperial Tobacco late last week.

Yesterday, Citigroup upgraded Imperial Tobacco to a "buy" and now Exane BNP Paribas and Morgan Stanley have pieces out to clients on the topic. Below I have pasted the gist of the latest Exane note: