Bill Ackman plans big moves for his companies after Amsterdam incidents
Well-known investor makes quick business decisions after troubling events in Netherlands capital. His two major companies might soon change their trading locations for both practical and ethical reasons
In early november 2024‚ Bill Ackman made a quick-moving announcement about his business plans: hes going to take Pershing Square Holdings away from Amsterdam stock exchange. The decision came right after some bad events happened to Israeli sports-fans in the city (which the local mayor called anti-jewish attacks)
The change makes sense for both money and ethics — Pershings board was already thinking about this move‚ but recent events became the final push. The company which already trades in London will now focus only on that market: this should make trading easier and cut down costs. Ackman and his family own about 1/4 of the business; they want to move away from places that dont protect visitors and small groups well enough
Concentrating the listing on one exchange‚ the LSE‚ and leaving a jurisdiction that fails to protect its tourists and minority populations combines both good business and moral principles
In a related move Ackman who sits on Universal Music Groups board started talks about moving the companys listing and main office to USA. The music giant currently has its home base in Amsterdam; but that might change soon. This double-move shows how fast business plans can change when real-world events happen
