Thursday newspaper round-up: Aveva, Trainline, Populists

Aveva looks set to break into the FTSE 100 after the industrial software developer’s combination with a French rival helped to boost annual earnings by a fifth. The Cambridge-based software-maker is on course to replace Easyjet in the index of Britain’s biggest publicly listed companies after its union with Schneider Electric in March last year. It would become the third software company in the top 100 after Sage and Micro Focus. - The Times

British tech pioneer Trainline is powering ahead with a blockbuster £1.5bn float on the London stock market next month. The travel bookings company said it would seek to raise £75m within weeks by selling new shares to investors to fund expansion. Existing shareholders, bosses and staff are also set to sell shares, with at least one quarter of the firm due to be listed on the stock market. - The Daily Mail

The chancellor, Philip Hammond, will tell Tory leadership hopefuls that they cannot hope to rebuild the party simply by cutting taxes and slashing red tape. He will also warn against "reckless" solutions offered by “populists” and defend government intervention on issues such as the national living wage. Hammond will argue that a “regulated market model” rather than total liberalisation is the best way to raise living standards. - The Guardian

UK car production plunged by almost half in April as factory shutdowns took their toll on the industry. Many car makers imposed production shutdown which had been scheduled to follow the UK’s expected departure from the EU on 29 March. Several brought forward or extended shutdowns that normally take place in the summer, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). - The Daily Telegraph

Supporters of a second referendum are “left-wing intellectuals” who seem to be sneering at "ordinary people", the Labour Party’s chairman has said. As the party’s splits over Brexit widened, Ian Lavery, an influential ally of Jeremy Corbyn, attacked the sections of the party who believed they could take power "by fighting for the biggest share of the 48 per cent". - The Times

Marks & Spencer plans to raise £600m to invest in Ocado through one of the UK's largest rights issues. But many small investors will be wondering what exactly a rights issue is, and what they should do. The clue is in the name. Investors are given the right to buy additional shares in proportion to their existing holding. In the case of M&S, it is one new share for every five existing shares held. - The Daily Mail