Boris Johnson tells UK to brace for mass unemployment June 3, 2020 Boris Johnson has warned of “many, many job losses” after the coronavirus crisis and has pledged to invest in retraining the UK’s young people. The Prime Minister said high levels of unemployment, as a result of the crisis, was “inevitable” and that his government would be “activist and interventionist” in dealing with job losses. The [...]
Total acquires 51 per cent stake in Scotland’s largest wind farm June 3, 2020 French oil giant Total has taken a 51 per cent stake in SSE Renewables’ £3bn Seagreen 1 wind farm, which was today greenlit for construction. The 1 gigawatt wind farm, which will be located in the Firth of Forth, will be Scotland’s largest renewable energy project. Once completed, it will provide enough electricity to power [...]
Decline eases in US services sector but economy stays in rut June 3, 2020 The decline in the US services sector eased somewhat in May, survey data has shown, but the dominant part of the economy remained stuck in a downturn. The closely watched purchasing managers’ index (PMI) gauge from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) came in at 45.4 in May. That compared to the sharp plunge to [...]
Sizewell C: Nuclear plant under scrutiny over Chinese role June 3, 2020 A quiet corner of the Suffolk coastline is set to become a new frontier in the debate over the UK’s changing relationship with Chinese foreign direct investment. Last week EDF submitted a planning application for Sizewell C, a new 3.2 gigawatt nuclear plant which could provide enough power for 6m homes. The project has been [...]
Clean technologies and climate policy: the global financial crisis and Covid-19 June 3, 2020 | City Talk A lot has changed for clean technologies since the global crisis in 2008. As investors in climate change, this is hugely encouraging. It is striking just how much has changed for clean technologies and climate policy between the financial crisis in 2008 and the one we face today. As climate change investors, this gives us [...]
BoE’s Andrew Bailey tells UK banks to up preparations for no-deal Brexit June 3, 2020 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has reportedly told UK banks to ramp up their preparations for a no-deal Brexit as the UK sticks to its target to strike a deal before the end of the year. Bailey told British lenders to accelerate their planning for a no-deal Brexit scenario in a call yesterday, according [...]
Oil prices top $40 for first time in three months ahead of Opec meeting June 3, 2020 Global oil prices touched $40 per barrel for the first time since March today amid hopes that producer cartel Opec would extend its record production cuts. Having reached the $40 mark earlier this morning, global standard Brent crude slipped back to $39.27 as midday approached. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate also gained to $36.83, approaching [...]
Covid-19: The golden age of investing comes with a silver lining June 3, 2020 | Sponsored In financial markets, there are no crystal balls, only things we know and things we do not – known knowns, and known unknowns. Both can help us to guide our decisions as investors. When faced with uncertainties or black swan events, investors have typically responded with a rush to precious metals. Gold has historically maintained [...]
FTSE 100: Travel stocks surge as Europe reopens borders June 3, 2020 The FTSE 100 jumped in morning trading with airlines surging as Europe reopened some of its borders after coronavirus lockdowns. London’s index of the 100 biggest UK companies rose 1.5 per cent to 6,310 points, putting it close to a three-month high. The rise was powered by countries across Europe reopening or planning to reopen [...]
Eurozone unemployment creeps up in April amid Covid-19 lockdown June 3, 2020 Eurozone unemployment hit 7.3 per cent in April as the coronavirus crisis took its toll on economies across the bloc. The figure was an increase on the 7.1 per cent unemployment rate recorded in March but was below forecasts of 8.2 per cent. The EU unemployment rate was 6.6 per cent in April, up from [...]