UK orders 100m doses of Valneva’s Covid-19 vaccine ahead of clinical approval February 1, 2021 French vaccine manufacturer Valneva said this morning that the government has ordered an additional 40m doses of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, boosting vaccine orders to 100m. Lined up for 2022, the additional vaccines should provide a buffer, particularly if any of the population require revaccination. Interim chair of government’s vaccines taskforce Clive Dix said: “The [...]
Premier League set for its lowest January transfer window spend since 2012, barring unexpected deadline day splurge February 1, 2021 The Premier League is heading for its lowest January spend since 2012, barring an unexpected transfer deadline day flurry of activity. Heading into the final hours of the transfer window, English top-flight clubs had forked out around £78m. Unless they spend more than £40m before tonight’s 11pm deadline, it will represent their lowest outlay for [...]
This morning: Silver receives Gamestop treatment on Reddit February 1, 2021 Silver shines this morning as the metal is experiencing a rise in demand thanks to postings on Reddit, targeted in a similar fashion as Gamestop last week. What silver is going through this morning is the same rude awakening financial markets received last week when a swarm of retail investors, who were chatting with each [...]
Sir Tom Moore admitted to hospital with Covid-19 January 31, 2021 Beloved UK figure Captain Tom Moore has been admitted to hospital with Covid-19, after being treated for pneumonia. Moore, who captured the country’s heart by raising more than £30m for charity by doing laps around his garden, was admitted to hospital today and is not in intensive care. Moore’s daughter gave the update this evening [...]
Office Politics: Hollywood films offer us a workplace how-to January 30, 2021 Goodness knows we’ve all watched a lot of movies over the past year. But escapist entertainment though they may be, are their nuggets hidden that can shine a light on our careers? Who knew Hollywood was so into office politics… Office Space (1999): Be the change you wish to see in the workplace This comedy [...]
EU securities watchdog calls for stricter regulation on greenwashing January 29, 2021 The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said today EU rules are needed to regulate ratings on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects of companies to avoid investors being deceived by “greenwashing”. Asset managers use ESG ratings to make “green” environmentally conscious investment decisions. Greenwashing refers to inaccurate claims that investments are sustainable and [...]
Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid vaccine 66 per cent effective January 29, 2021 The Covid vaccine being developed by Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, is 66 per cent effective at preventing moderate and severe coronavirus, data published from phase three trials has shown. The jab produced by world’s largest healthcare company is the first single-dose Covid vaccine so far. Britain has pre-ordered 30m doses of the [...]
Can DeFi offer a way to circumvent regulators in the fund management sector? – CityAM : CityAM January 28, 2021 One of the ways regulators try and protect ‘less sophisticated investors’ is to only allow High Net Worth (HNW) or professional investors to access certain types of funds. The use of options and futures (derivatives) by an asset manager to reduce a fund’s exposure to the stock market or a particular equity (under the guise [...]
Germany recommends blocking Astrazeneca vaccine for over-65s January 28, 2021 German health authorities have issued a draft recommendation that the Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine should not be used in over-65s. A statement by the Standing Vaccine Commission at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) — Germany’s main public health body — said there was “insufficient data currently available to ascertain how effective the vaccination is above 65 [...]
Prudential share price tumbles nine per cent on Jackson demerger plan January 28, 2021 The share price of insurer Prudential fell eight per cent today following news it would split off its US business through a demerger. Following pressure from activist investor Third Point, Prudential agreed to split off its US business Jackson through a demerger that could raise between $2.5 and $3bn in new equity. In response Prudential’s [...]