LONDON (ShareCast) - Investors should back the judgment of Breon Corcoran, the Chief Executive of Betfair, Matthew Goodman argued in the Sunday Times. In the Inside the City column, Goodman said Corcoran had quietly got Betfair into shape by cutting regulatory risk and imrpoving its website, taking the shares above the £13 float price for the first time in four years. Betfair has £250m of cash but Corcoran is unlikely to announce any largesse at results on December 4th. If a new government tax regime is as harsh as some expect, Betfair could capitalise on an industry clear-out.
Buy shares of Workspace Group, Midas recommended in the Mail on Sunday. The company provides small firms in London with affordable, modern office space and has many properties in trendy districts like Shoreditch in East London. Chief Executive Jamie Hopkins raised £96m in November to fund more growth. Brokers expect profits to rise by almost a quarter this year. Hopkins is sticking to London for the moment but has his eye on other cities and overseas. The shares offer long-term rewards.

Stick with shares of Vp, Questor advised in the Sunday Telegraph. The rental company is spread across construction, oil and gas and equipment hire, helping first-half profit rise by 27%. It is benefiting from work upgrading the UK's railways, roads and utilities and it should do well from even a small recovery in public construction. Trading on 14 times annual earnings, the shares reflect much of the good news, prompting a hold rating from the tipster.

C&C Group is keeping its options open over whether to pursue a bid for Spirit, the pub company, Matthew Goodman said in the Sunday Times. The maker of Magners has gone quiet on its declared interest in Spirit, which has recommended a takeover bid by Greene King. But C&C has dropped Goldman Sachs, Spirit's adviser on the Greene King deal, as its joint broker. Actions speak louder than words, Goodman said.

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