The Christmas Day Quiz: City A.M. tests out your grey matter December 24, 2022 It’s the Christmas Quiz you’ve been waiting for! Each year City A.M. publishes Deloitte’s economics team’s festive brainteasers, produced as part of their regular Monday briefing. Grab a pen – the answers are at the bottom, and come packed with plenty of extra details… 1. The nineteenth century Scottish historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle dubbed [...]
London braced for transport chaos as Christmas Eve train strike begins December 24, 2022 Strike action could bring chaos to millions of people on Christmas Eve, as walkouts hit rail services and Border Force action enters a second day. With one day to go until Christmas, travellers were being issued with warnings of delays, congestion and disruption. Fears of disorder at UK airports and long queues at passport control [...]
Pubs closing down: Crisis for industry as more than one a day shuts doors December 24, 2022 More than 32 pubs disappeared from communities in England and Wales each month in 2022 as rocketing energy bills and staffing pressures forced businesses to shut for the final time. New analysis of official government data by real estate adviser Altus group found the overall number of pubs slid by 386 during the year. The [...]
Twitter, Elon Musk – and what’s next for the bird-owning billionaire December 24, 2022 Elon Musk started the year as just a prominent Twitter user, but he ends it as its beleaguered owner set to step down as chief executive after a chaotic two months in charge. The Tesla and SpaceX owner launched his dramatic takeover bid in April after buying up enough shares to become the site’s biggest [...]
Five tech funding rounds that bucked the gloom this year December 23, 2022 At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking it had been another fairly rosy year for tech firms raising cash in the Capital. London’s start-ups bagged £16bn throughout the year; the capital now boasts more high growth firms and ‘unicorns’ than many European countries; and the UK’s tech industry on the whole sailed past a [...]
IPL Auction: England’s Sam Curran becomes most expensive player in history at £1.95m December 23, 2022 England all-rounder Sam Curran has become the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction after Punjab Kings paid almost £2million for his services. Curran’s stock has never been higher after he starred in England’s T20 World Cup triumph in Australia last month, picking up the player of the tournament [...]
Square Foot Mile: Corporate office space deals surged by 25 per cent in 2022 December 23, 2022 Big corporate deals for London HQs has caused office leasing volumes to surge by almost 25 per cent. The post-pandemic return to the office is in full swing, with central London take-up rising by 24 per cent this year. Of the increase, demand for high-quality space in the capital has skyrocketed with 60 per cent [...]
Britain baulks at Biden’s £330bn green subsidy package December 23, 2022 Britain has voiced its disapproval of Joe Biden’s extensive US package for green subsidies, warning they are protectionist and could harm UK energy firms. Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s international trade secretary has reached out to her US counterpart, criticising the Biden administration’s £327bn ($395bn) green economy package. In a letter seen by the Financial Times, [...]
Narrow Escape: Sam Bankman-Fried released on $250m bail December 23, 2022 Disgraced FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried avoided prison on Thursday after posting a $250m recognised bond before awaiting trial for charges of fraud and money laundering. The US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York has charged Bankman-Fried with eight criminal counts, including fraud and money-laundering offences. The previously heralded crypto hero reportedly used [...]
UK inks 10-year deal with Moderna to produce 250m vaccines in event of another pandemic December 23, 2022 The UK government has signed a 10-year deal with Moderna to produce upwards of 250m vaccines a year in the event of a pandemic. The investment will give NHS patients access to UK-made mRNA vaccines while a new innovation and technology centre will be created, with 150 highly skilled jobs. In a major boost for [...]