Ministers commission review of markets competition February 5, 2020 Ministers have launched a review into the effectiveness of competition in the British economy. Chancellor Sajid Javid and business secretary Andrea Leadsom have commissioned the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to provide evidence on areas where competition is failing. In a letter to the competition regulator’s chief executive Andrea Coscelli, the ministers said the current [...]
Nightmare: Casper Sleep slashes IPO valuation again February 5, 2020 Casper Sleep slashed the valuation it is seeking in its initial public offering again today, as the money-losing online mattress retailer tries to lure investors in a tepid market for start-up IPOs following Wework’s debacle last year. The price cut underscores the recent mismatch between the valuations start-ups are able to achieve in private fundraising [...]
EU ‘could weaken’ the City after Brexit with Mifid II changes February 5, 2020 Eyebrows were raised in the City this afternoon following reports that European authorities are launching an offensive in a bid to weaken the City of London following the UK’s departure from the European Union. Officials in Brussels, Berlin and Paris are looking to amend the bloc’s Mifid II financial regulations by walking away from concessions [...]
Vanguard partners with HarbourVest to enter private equity industry February 5, 2020 Vanguard and HarbourVest have today announced a strategic partnership to provide investors with access to private equity. A move into the private equity industry could see Vanguard earn higher returns and achieve increased diversification. “We are entering the private equity market the Vanguard way—partnering with a world-class advisor to provide a high-quality offer,” said Vanguard [...]
Oil prices soar as coronavirus cure rumours fuel optimism February 5, 2020 Oil prices broke three weeks of consistent falls today, soaring four per cent as markets reacted wildly optimistically to reports that a breakthrough had been made in the search for a coronavirus cure. Global benchmark Brent crude gained almost $2 to reach $55.91, an increase of 3.6 per cent. West Texas Intermediate shot up 3.5 [...]
FTSE 100 and oil prices gain on reports of coronavirus vaccine ‘breakthrough’ February 5, 2020 The FTSE 100 and European stocks have staged a comeback after opening in the red, following reports that scientists may have found a breakthrough in developing a possible coronavirus treatment. Europe’s abrupt about-turn followed an overnight rise in Asian markets, where traders were buoyed by the prospect of additional stimulus from the Chinese government. Britain’s [...]
Shares in Smurfit Kappa rise as it returns to profit February 5, 2020 Shares in packaging business Smurfit Kappa rose today after it announced it had returned to profit in its full-year results. Smurfit Kappa was leading the risers on the FTSE 100 this afternoon, with shares up 5.8 per cent at 2,876p. The Dublin-based company said profit before tax for the year to 31 December was €677m [...]
Pension savers can boost their retirement pots and help businesses to grow by investing in venture capital February 5, 2020 The world is getting richer. Every day, we find ways to do things more efficiently — and when we do, those benefits diffuse across the country and throughout the world. But this diffusion isn’t always noticeable, evenly spread, or quick enough for many. For the economic system to maintain legitimacy, people need to believe that [...]
Record number of cheap energy deals available for UK households February 5, 2020 UK households now have a far wider choice of cheap energy deals, with 78 tariffs now priced under £1000 a year. According to consumer group Which, the number of these tariffs has exploded since the energy price cap was introduced last January, when there were only 12 available. There are also 25 deals now under [...]
Fuel prices rise in January despite wholesale price drop February 5, 2020 Despite hefty falls in diesel and unleaded wholesale prices in January, the UK’s four largest supermarkets increased fuel prices every day until a last-gasp cut on 29 January. The drop in wholesale prices, which saw unleaded fall 4p and diesel 7.5p, should have been good news for UK drivers, but prices at supermarkets increased £1.51p [...]