Editor's view: Deal or no deal?

That's because Mattioli Woods and Kingswood's merger comes after weeks of more-than-speculation following the latter's takeover by private equity (PE) backer HSQ Investment earlier this year. Back in March when advanced discussions between HSQ and Kingswood were confirmed, it was noted that sector "headwinds" had hurt growth, while Kingswood's net debt position had soared to more than £48m at the end of December 2023. HSQ, of course, is part of Pollen Street Capital, which snapped up Mattioli Woods in a £432m deal that got the regulatory green light last July. With the Mattioli Woo...