Wework IPO: Firm cuts founder’s supervoting power to save float September 13, 2019 Wework is set to slash the supervoting power of its co-founder to assuage fears of investors as it tries to save the company’s initial public offering (IPO). The firm will also appoint a lead independent director by the end of the year as well as cut Neumann’s voting power from 20 votes per share to [...]
Pound jumps past $1.24 on reports DUP could soften backstop stance September 13, 2019 The sterling surged through the $1.24 barrier on Friday morning on renewed hope of a Brexit deal following reports that the DUP could be willing to soften its stance on the Irish backstop. The pound rose by 0.6 per cent to hit a seven-week high despite the ongoing prorogation of parliament. It comes after a [...]
SSE sells energy services business to Ovo in £500m deal September 13, 2019 SSE has sold its energy services business to Ovo Energy in a deal worth £500m, creating one of the UK’s largest power suppliers and a new rival to British Gas. Read more: SSE in talks to sell energy retail business to Ovo energy The Big Six energy supplier today said it had agreed to offload [...]
The great British sell-off: Three ways for investors to profit September 13, 2019 As the final act of the Brexit saga approaches, investors are still locked in a state of perpetual uncertainty. We can’t know what will unfold, but what business is continually telling the government is how difficult it is to plan in the current environment. Brexit is the moment when we will receive some clarity, for [...]
Currency and commodities trades to be taxed under new Labour proposal September 12, 2019 The Labour Party today endorsed a proposal which would levy a £2.1bn a year tax on currency and commodity trading. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said the party will adopt a plan proposed by the Progressive Economy Forum think tank. Read more: Labour pushes for parliament recall after Operation Yellowhammer sheds light on no-deal Brexit It [...]
Donald Trump lashes out at ECB over euro’s fall September 12, 2019 US President Donald Trump has reacted furiously to the euro’s fall against the dollar following the European Central Bank’s (ECB) decision to cut interest rates for the first time in over three years. Read more: Donald Trump demands ‘boneheads’ at Fed slash rates to zero The euro fell as much as 0.7 per cent following [...]
How can it be both the best of times and the worst of times for markets? September 12, 2019 As the sleepy months of late summer fade away, investors put down the classics and pick up the financial pages as markets resume their usual commotion of activity. We should use it to reflect on what has been a great year for investors, despite the recent market wobbles. Indeed, equities continue to rally, with the [...]
Santander issues first end-to-end $20m blockchain bond September 12, 2019 Santander said today it has become the first financial institution to digitise the process of issuing bonds on a public blockchain. The Spanish banking giant used the public ethereum blockchain to tokenise the bond securely and register it on the blockchain – a sort of digital public ledger that can record transactions in close to [...]
How much stimulus will the ECB deliver? September 12, 2019 | City Talk A great showman always leaves people wanting more. In his penultimate showpiece, ECB chief Mario Draghi may do exactly that. Expectations ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) meeting are running very high. Whilst it seems the ECB will throw the kitchen sink at slow growth and persistently lacklustre inflation, markets seem to want the [...]
John McDonnell poised to back widening of UK financial transactions tax September 11, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell is set to extend Labour’s plans for a new tax on UK financial transactions in a move that could bring in an extra £2.1bn to the government’s coffers. Under Labour’s existing plans, the 0.5 per cent duty on share trading would be extended to other asset classes. Labour say this would [...]