Oil sinks to lowest price in a year as virus fears grow February 27, 2020 Oil prices today hit their lowest level since January last year as fears about the impact of the coronavirus on the world economy grew. Brent crude was down 4.3 per cent to $51.14 a barrel this afternoon as the virus continues its spread outside of China. Any impact on global consumption or manufacturing patterns will [...]
Hunting shares surge despite earnings slip February 27, 2020 Engineering group Hunting saw its shares jump almost 14 per cent to 331p by the close of trading in London this evening after it gave a “cautiously optimistic” lookahead for the year. The company, which makes equipment for the oil and fracking industry, credits its success with a strong balance sheet containing $40m (£31m) in [...]
Financial watchdog to investigate scandal-ridden NMC Health February 27, 2020 NMC Health is facing battles on two fronts after the City watchdog stepped up its probe into the embattled hospital operator and a major shareholder criticised its handling of an investigation into its finances. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will investigate NMC, the FTSE 100 company said, just hours after trading in its shares was [...]
Out for justice: action star Steven Seagal fined $330,000 by US financial regulator February 27, 2020 Action film supremo Steven Seagal found himself on deadly ground today when he was hit with a $330,000 (£256,000) fine by US financial regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Exit Wounds-star discovered he was not above the law after promoting an initial coin offering (ICO) on social media without disclosing he was being [...]
Coronavirus: Global stocks spill $3 trillion as Covid-19 sends FTSE 100 staggering February 27, 2020 European stocks tumbled yet again today as fresh coronavirus concerns saw the FTSE 100 sink three per cent this afternoon as stock markets across the world dropped sharply. London’s blue-chip index plunged far below 7,000 points to 6,831.2 today after Australia’s Prime Minister warned the world is on the brink of a coronavirus pandemic. Cases [...]
Pound falls as UK threatens to walk away from Brexit trade talks February 27, 2020 The pound is down against the euro after Downing Street threatened to walk away from Brexit trade talks in June if it appears an agreement is unlikely. The pound fell 0.79 per cent against the euro to €1.175 and down to $1.288 against the dollar, as Britain reiterated its no-deal Brexit threat. Boris Johnson published [...]
Shares in crisis-hit NMC Health suspended February 27, 2020 Trading in NMC Health shares has been suspended this morning after the embattled hospital operator fired its chief executive and revealed $335m (£259m) of secret guarantees benefitting companies owned by two of its major shareholders. In addition to sacking boss Prasanth Manghat, leaving it with no executive board members, the company has also granted its [...]
FTSE 100 steadies after two days of steep losses February 26, 2020 The FTSE 100 steadied after dropping to a 13-month low earlier in the day after two days of heavy losses prompted by growing fears over a coronavirus pandemic. London’s blue-chip stock index fell 1.6 per cent to below 7,000 points to 6,903, its lowest point since February 2019, before recovering 0.1 per cent. The FTSE [...]
US stocks rally as investors try to price coronavirus damage February 26, 2020 US stock markets rallied soon after the bell and European equities recovered from sharp early falls as investors weighed up the effect coronavirus on the global economy. The Nasdaq index, which is dominated by global tech companies, jumped 1.8 per cent soon after Wall Street opened. The S&P 500 followed suit with a 1.5 per [...]
Weir to exit oil and gas after £379m loss February 26, 2020 Weir Group is to exit its oil and gas business after posting a £379m loss for 2019 today. While Weir enjoyed a strong performance in its mining business, the company warned the US oil and gas market’s poor 2019 performance forced it to slash costs in the range of £35m a year. “North American oil [...]