UK employment hits record high driven by women finding work April 16, 2019 The number of people in work in Britain hit a record high in the three months to February 2019, driven mainly by more women finding jobs, pushing up wages as firms kept hiring during political impasse in Westminster. Read more: Employment rate jumps to record high Britain’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points in [...]
Climate change protest: 113 activists arrested as London rally enters second day April 16, 2019 More than 100 protestors were arrested during an anti-climate change demonstration in central London yesterday. Read more: Climate protesters attack Shell HQ as London blockades continue Police confirmed that a total of 113 arrests had been made at the Extinction Rebellion protest, the majority of which were for breach of the public order act or [...]
Your IPO can dazzle the stock market with the right communications strategy and PR spin April 16, 2019 The initial public offering (IPO) market is revving into gear, with consumer technology stars including Uber, Airbnb, and other Silicon Valley heavyweights planning to go public this year. However, these offerings all come in the controversial wake of ride-hailing app Lyft, which raised more than $2.3bn (£1.76bn) in a seriously – 20 times – oversubscribed [...]
Can European banks be saved by mergers and a fresh round of deal making? April 16, 2019 The comparisons with US peers just got a lot harder for European banks after a strong showing from JP Morgan to kick off earnings season. But could there be fresh revenue on the way for European investment banks, even if it is of their own making? There’s a mooted capital raising for Deutsche Bank before [...]
Lufthansa enters the red with €336m loss as rising fuel costs take a bite out of the airline industry April 16, 2019 German carrier Lufthansa showed and operating loss reaching €336m (£290m) in the first three months of the year as fuel costs ate into its profits. Revenues at the airline grew three per cent year-on-year to €7.9bn, but its €52m operating profit reversed into a big loss. Read more: Easyjet’s had a bumpy ride, but what do [...]
Jet Airways shares dive as management considers operations shutdown April 16, 2019 Jet Airways’ shares crashed this morning amid reports that its board has proposed a total operational shutdown. Read more: Jet Airways fails to secure interim funding from lenders The embattled airline’s share price dropped 12 per cent to 230.45 rupees after The Economic Times reported that its management has mooted ceasing operations entirely, recovering from [...]
G4S reports rising revenues as North American cash business grows by nearly a third April 16, 2019 G4S shares rose two per cent this morning as it announced its revenues had risen 4.8 per cent, and that the separation of its cash and security businesses was making “good progress”. Read more: G4S shares rocket as Garda World considers takeover bid The security giant said revenue had grown in the first three months of [...]
Notre-Dame fire: LVMH and Gucci owners pledge €300m to repair historic Paris cathedral after blaze April 16, 2019 French billionaire Bernard Arnault has pledged €200m (£173m) to rebuild Notre Dame in Paris as donors flock to save the heritage site, which was gutted by a blaze yesterday. Arnault, who is behind French firm LVMH, which controls fashion house Louis Vuitton and champagne maker Moet & Chandon, said the firm’s architects and creative team will also help [...]
Sub-prime lender Provident Financial lashes out at ‘unlawful’ Non-Standard Finance payments amid takeover dispute April 16, 2019 Sub-prime lender Provident has urged shareholders to take no action in relation to a £1.3bn hostile takeover bid from Non-Standard Finance (NSF), as the chairman accused its rival of “unlawful” dividend distributions. NSF confirmed last week that some dividend payments since 2015 were “technical infringements” of the Companies Act, however, in a letter to investors [...]
Tube delays: Commuters face miserable journey as faulty King’s Cross train disrupts Victoria Line April 16, 2019 The Victoria Line has been hit with severe delays this morning, causing disruption to a key Tube route for Londoners. Read more: Power supply issue causes severe Tube delays A faulty train at King’s Cross was behind the issue, Transport for London (TfL) said. Engineers are trying to fix the train but TfL advised commuters [...]