UK construction sector shrinks again amid election uncertainty December 3, 2019 The UK construction sector contracted for the seventh month running in November as new work fell sharply amid yet more political uncertainty, survey data has shown. The poor performance of the sector led firms to lay off workers for the eighth month in a row, in the latest sign that Britain’s jobs boom is slowing. [...]
Centamin rejects £1.47bn Endeavour buyout proposal December 3, 2019 The board of London-listed gold miner Centamin have unanimously rejected a buyout proposal worth £1.47bn from Canada’s Endeavour Mining Corporation. The proposal was for an exchange of 0.0846 of Endeavour’s shares for each Centamin share, or around 126.27p per share, a premium of 13 per cent. Read more: Centamin shares fall down mine shaft on [...]
Anglian Water remains on track after business transformation December 3, 2019 Anglian Water enjoyed steady revenue growth for the first half of 2019 after becoming the first UK water company to officially reset its business along environment and community protection lines. Read more: Water industry set to announce new boss ahead of nationalisation fight The figures Revenue at the water giant rose 2.8 per cent in [...]
Asian stocks slump after Trump slaps tariffs on Brazil and Argentina December 3, 2019 Asian stocks slipped today after US President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on imports from Brazil and Argentina to spike global trade tensions once again. Soft US manufacturing data compounded the problem for world markets and saw global stocks fall into the red as trading opened today. Read more: European stocks have worst day in two [...]
The woes of the IPO market show the problems with the stock exchange model December 3, 2019 A lot has changed since the early 1600s. For a start, we’ve stopped burning people at the stake for suggesting that the world is round. But some things have remained surprisingly similar over the past 400 years — like the stock exchange. Today, most exchanges remain similar in format to the very first stock market, [...]
Labour isn’t even trying to make its slapdash sums add up December 3, 2019 General Elections are always an uncomfortable period for those of us who like our facts straight and our figures honest. All too often, politicians of all stripes seem to be treating the Liberal Democrats’ infamous bar charts not as a scandal, but an inspiration. Even by modern standards, however, there is something rather special about [...]
Scottish Power tops list of slowest energy companies for call waiting times December 3, 2019 A fifth of UK energy suppliers keep customers on hold for an average of more than 10 minutes, according to new data from consumer champion Which?. The worst provider was Scottish Power, which left customers waiting 21 minutes 24 seconds on average, 20 minutes slower than the quickest company, So Energy, which answered calls in [...]
European stocks have worst day in two months after fresh Donald Trump tariffs December 2, 2019 European stock markets suffered their biggest fall in two months today, after US President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on Brazil and Argentina and fears were raised over a trade-war escalation with China. Britain’s FTSE 100 finished 0.8 per cent down, hitting a one-week low. Germany’s Dax index and France’s CAC 40 both tumbled two per [...]
FTSE 100 swings into red after Donald Trump announces tariffs on Brazil and Argentina December 2, 2019 US President Donald Trump has said he will restore tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Brazil and Argentina in the latest salvo of his global trade war. The President tweeted: “Brazil and Argentina have been presiding over a massive devaluation of their currencies. which is not good for our farmers. Therefore, effective immediately, I [...]
Stubborn Boris could scupper 2020 GBP recovery December 2, 2019 | City Talk As we enter the final pre-election stretch, markets are faced with a number of potential consequences; from a Conservative-led Brexit, to a referendum and potential withdrawal of article 50 under a Lib/Lab/SNP alliance. However, one thing is for sure; there is a huge amount of uncertainty irrespective of the outcome. Should Corbyn manage to enter [...]