FTSE 100 tumbles as US-China tensions rise over Hong Kong May 29, 2020 The FTSE 100 tumbled in afternoon trading to close 2.5 per cent lower lower as a spike in tensions between the US and China shook investors. London’s main stock index closed at 6,061 points. It nonetheless finished higher for the week, with many analysts saying investors were profit-taking today. US stocks also fell, although their [...]
Cruise firm Carnival set for the drop in FTSE 100 reshuffle May 29, 2020 Cruise operator Carnival is set to drop out of the FTSE 100 stock index next week when Britain’s league of the biggest companies is reshuffled, having been battered by the coronavirus crisis. Analysts tip airline Easyjet to also drop out in the FTSE reshuffle. British Gas-owner Centrica is also likely to be replaced as one [...]
London business confidence rises but gloom remains as lockdown eased May 29, 2020 London business confidence picked up slightly in May as the government lifted coronavirus restrictions, but firms grew gloomier across the country as a whole. The business barometer from Lloyds showed that London business confidence rose eight points on its gauge to minus 20. This was nonetheless close to a record low after sentiment plunged in [...]
Dividend bear markets: the grizzly facts May 29, 2020 | City Talk With companies around the world drastically cutting dividends, we’ve looked at 149 years of data to see what’s happened previously at such times and what investors might expect next. Dividends are expected to be slashed by 25% to 50% across the globe this year compared with 2019. This will be an unwelcome (if not entirely [...]
Eurozone on brink of deflation as price growth slows to 0.1 per cent May 29, 2020 Eurozone inflation dropped to a four-year low of just 0.1 per cent in May, data has shown, as the coronavirus pandemic put the single-currency bloc perilously close to deflationary territory. In an early estimate, the European Union’s statistics body said Eurozone month-on-month inflation was just 0.1 per cent as energy prices plunged. Core inflation, which [...]
Italian and French economies crash in first quarter as coronavirus bites May 29, 2020 The Italian and French economies shrank by more than five per cent in the first quarter of the year as normal life was halted to try to tackle coronavirus, data has confirmed. France’s statistics body today said its economy shrank by 5.3 per cent, slightly less than originally thought. But it was still the worst [...]
Listed legal business DWF ousts chief executive amid covid-19 crisis May 29, 2020 Listed legal business DWF today announced it was ousting its longstanding chief executive in favour of its chair to help steer it through the coronavirus pandemic. Chief executive Andrew Leaitherland is stepping down from DWF “with immediate effect” to be replaced by chair Sir Nigel Knowles who was previously chief executive of legal giant DLA [...]
Asian stocks dip on worries over US Hong Kong security law backlash May 29, 2020 Asian stocks dipped today as investors nervously waited for US President Donald Trump’s reaction to China’s tightening hold over Hong Kong. China’s parliament yesterday pressed on with national security legislation for Hong Kong, raising fears over its freedoms and its future as a financial centre. Trump, who has promised a tough response, said he will [...]
Largest solar park in the UK given planning approval May 28, 2020 Business secretary Alok Sharma has today given the go-ahead to Britain’s largest solar energy park on the north Kent coast. The Cleve Hill park, which is being built by a joint venture of specialist solar firms Hive Energy and Wirsol Energy, will consist of 800,000 panels built on 890 hectares of land in Graveney. The [...]
Consumer confidence among millennials jumps during lockdown May 28, 2020 Consumer confidence among millennials has jumped during the UK coronavirus lockdown, according to the latest research. Sentiment in the 25 to 34 age group has risen from minus seven in April to 16 this month, a survey tracking expectations of future disposable income and shopping behaviour showed. The age group has overtaken the 18 to [...]