We are delighted to publish the 2021 edition of the QCA/Peel Hunt Mid & Small-Cap Survey.
Read Unlocking Growth After Lockdown
The findings of this report are based on surveys conducted by YouGov with 103 UK-based fund managers, and 141 mid or small-sized quoted companies in late 2020. Key findings include:
- 77% of investors think that the temporary actions taken by the UK’s financial regulators and policymakers to help companies access finance through the pandemic were helpful.
- 72% of investors and over 52% of companies have been engaging with each other in different ways due to the pandemic. This is most predominantly online engagement in place of face-to-face meetings and most companies and investors believe this has been a positive development.
- Despite these successes, optimism for the future of the UK’s public equity markets is low and decisive action needs to be taken to protect and build on our mid & small-cap markets. Only 21% of investors and 5% of companies think the number of companies listed on UK markets will rise in the future.
Joined-up government action is needed to review how the public equity markets are working and address how the many benefits for companies of being listed are being outweighed by the rules and regulations aimed at the very largest listed companies, having a disproportionate impact on our mid and small-sized enterprises.
The need to stimulate our economy, combined with the opportunities that leaving the EU provides, can build momentum to revitalise the UK’s public equity markets.
Lord Hill’s review of the UK listing regime is examining this and we hope this forms part of a well coordinated approach from the government to do this and lead to an expanding small and mid-cap ecosystem in the UK.
