LSEG pushes up profit forecast as it confirms $3.5bn Octus swoop

LSEG has upped its profit forecast for a second time as the operator of the London Stock Exchange confirmed plans to take on credit data specialist Octus in a $3.5bn (£2.6bn) deal. The FTSE 100 firm said the deal to acquire the New York-based business “significantly expands LSEG’s fixed income offering”. “Public and private credit markets are converging,” LSEG said, adding that the tie-up would help meet “customer demand for timely, accurate and predictive intelligence, and proprietary data and analytics in this less liquid market segment.” The deal marks a major win for British private equity group Permira, who acquired the business for just $1.3bn as recently as 2022. It marks the biggest takeover by LSEG since the firm’s blockbuster $27bn acquisition of US data services provider Refinitiv in 2021. The takeover comes just days after LSEG-owned trading platform Tradeweb unveiled plans to acquire electronic credit trading marketplace Trumid in a $1.8bn deal. “Alongsid