What impact is Covid-19 having on global economies and markets? March 31, 2020 | City Talk The impact of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic continues to play out. The extent to which the virus will spread, both between and within countries remains unclear, and the duration and impact are highly uncertain. Sadly, the human impact continues to grow, and the virus has now claimed the lives of over 22,000 people, as [...]
World Bank warns on Chinese growth even as factories bounce back March 31, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic will dramatically slow growth in China and Asia and prevent tens of millions from leaving poverty, the World Bank said overnight. The bleak prediction came even as a gauge of output showed signs of life in China’s manufacturing sector in March. China’s economy – the world’s second-largest, is now predicted by the [...]
Coronavirus: Ratings agencies see demand surge as firms try for BoE cash March 31, 2020 Ratings agencies have reported a surge in demand from UK companies as firms try to secure credit ratings that would let them access the Bank of England’s coronavirus bond-buying scheme. However, a significant number of firms expressing interest do not qualify for the money, agencies said. S&P Global Ratings said it has received around 30 [...]
Coronavirus: UK business confidence falls to lowest level since October March 31, 2020 Overall UK business confidence fell to its lowest level since October amid the coronavirus crisis, reflecting a drop in both trading prospects and economic optimism. The Lloyds Bank Business Barometer shows a 17 percentage point drop to six per cent last month. Economic optimism dropped from 23 per cent, its highest level for 17 months, [...]
Coronavirus: More than half of Brits expect a recession March 30, 2020 More than half of Britons now expect the economy to tumble into recession within a year due to the coronavirus outbreak, a poll has shown, with pessimism about household finances rising at the fastest rate on record. Pollsters Yougov said 52 per cent of people in the UK think the economy will be in recession [...]
How small businesses can do big things for sustainability March 30, 2020 | Sponsored With the green agenda more important than ever, businesses are under pressure to ensure they are both environmentally and economically sustainable. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) is on the horizon and attention is focused on how businesses will play their part to tackle climate change. Many big corporations have big budgets for green [...]
Coronavirus: FTSE 100 falls as oil prices plummet March 30, 2020 The FTSE 100 has slipped lower after the coronavirus situation worsened in the UK over the weekend and oil prices tumbled to an 18-year low. Britain’s FTSE 100 index was 1.2 per cent lower at midday at 5,446 points. It had fallen 5.3 per cent on Friday after rallying strongly over the previous three days. [...]
Coronavirus sets UK on course for deepest recession since 2008 March 30, 2020 The UK is set for the deepest recession since the 2008 financial crisis as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the economy. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) predicts the UK economy will shrink marginally in the first quarter year, by 0.5 per cent, before contracting a staggering 15 per cent in the second quarter. [...]
Unemployment to double as coronavirus cripples the economy March 29, 2020 Unemployment in the UK is set to double in the next few months and economists are bracing for the coronavirus outbreak to hit harder than the financial crisis. Despite the government’s attempts to incentivise employers to keep staff on, investment bank Nomura predicts the effect of the pandemic will hit “multiple times that of the [...]
Coronavirus: Employees can defer annual leave for two years, says business secretary March 28, 2020 Employees unable to take all their annual leave this year due to the coronavirus pandemic will be allowed to carry it over for two years, the business secretary announced today. Alok Sharma, standing in for self-isolating Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the government’s daily briefing, said the government had introduced new measures to facilitate this. [...]