Vodafone's Verizon deal to produce £10bn UK equity bonanza

Vodafone's sale of its 45% holding in US peer Verizon Wireless could see an extra £10bn invested in UK equities in the coming weeks, according to reports.

Vodafone shareholders will receive £36.7bn in Verizon Wireless shares and £14.6bn in cash when Vodafone divests its 45% stake in the US group over the next two weeks, with a significant proportion expected to be reinvested in other UK stocks. According to the FT, Macquarie analysts estimate that about a fifth of the £51bn total will be recycled back into UK equities - made up of £2.9bn in cash and £7.3bn in Verizon shares. Vodafone is one of the most-widely held stocks in the UK and accounts for around 6% of the average FTSE 100 tracker fund. These funds are expected to use their p...