What next for Biden’s climate and social agenda? January 29, 2021 | City Talk Joe Biden ran on one of the most progressive platforms the US has ever seen, with climate ambition at its heart. His victory will result in a sea-change in US climate ambition. That said, the narrow margin of victory will pose challenges for the more ambitious elements of his agenda. Below we assess the policy [...]
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 [...]
Pension funds will reap rewards from playing a part in the UK’s green drive January 28, 2021 In November, heads of state, climate experts and campaigners will come together in Glasgow for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the biggest summit ever hosted by the UK, to discuss, and commit to, ambitious climate targets and concrete steps to protect our planet. International collaboration is essential, but the success of global action will comprise the [...]
Exclusive: Friendship app Yubo to expand workforce 10-fold this year, says CEO January 28, 2021 In a year that saw UK schools close their doors and social gatherings move to video platforms, Gen Z ‘friendship’ platform Yubo saw live streams increase by 550 per cent, with streamers spending an average of two hours per day on the app. Since its launch in 2015, the platform that connects people based on shared interests has [...]
Are any stock markets cheap going into 2021? January 27, 2021 | City Talk Where is the value in stock markets today? This is a difficult question to wrestle with. At face value, the bad news is that everywhere looks to be at nosebleed-red levels of expensiveness. Of the 25 measures in our regular stock market valuation grid below (five markets and five measures for each), 16 are more [...]
Taper Tantrum 2: is there a sequel in the making? January 26, 2021 | City Talk Sequels – occasionally they’re better (The Godfather Part II), but most of the time they’re worse. Often far worse (Jaws: The Revenge). As investors and economists look for the next market risks after the pandemic, some are now expecting a follow-up to 2013’s blockbusting Taper Tantrum. This sequel could even be coming to (trading) screens [...]
Covid’s catapult: four positive trends for women January 26, 2021 | City Talk Women have been making progress for years, but at a glacial pace. Year after year, I see the same bleak numbers: the more or less stagnant percentages of women in senior management, on boards, in finance, in tech, in investing. However, Covid-19 has been a catalyst and change accelerator in many areas, and while its burdens [...]
London best UK city for female entrepreneurs January 25, 2021 A new study has found that the UK is the fifth best country for female entrepreneurs in the world, with London hailed the best city across the UK for women-owned startups. Analysing data from Crunchbase, Mastercard, Tide and Linkedin, the study by JBH Digital PR Agency found that finance was the most viable option for [...]
Swedish payments app Trustly plots IPO amid flurry of tech listings January 22, 2021 Swedish payments firm Trustly is reportedly planning a public listing this year worth up to 9bn, amid a flurry of tech IPOs. Trustly’s private equity backer Nordic Capital is working with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Carnegie on the IPO which is due in the second quarter, according to Reuters. Nordic Capital bought a 70 [...]
Eurozone business activity shrinks sharply in January as lockdowns batter services January 22, 2021 Economic activity in the eurozone has plummeted in January as lockdown measures hit the bloc’s dominant service industry, a survey showed today. IHS Markit’s guide to economic health fell further below the 50 mark to 47.5 in January, a further dip from December’s 49.1. Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, believes a double-dip [...]
