Service sector confidence falls as UK nears recession September 9, 2019 Optimism about the economy in the services sector fell sharply in August to levels not seen since 2013, according to a report from accountants BDO. BDO’s services optimism index dropped 3.89 points in August to 95.49 per cent, only just above the 95 level that indicates a recessionary mindset has taken hold. Read more: Business [...]
London’s private sector growth outperforms rest of country in August September 9, 2019 Growth in London’s private sector slowed in August, but the capital outperformed the UK as a whole as new business, activity and employment all expanded. Read more: UK economy close to recession after stagnant services sector data Despite the expansion, companies’ overall confidence fell to a five-month low in August as Brexit uncertainty weighed on [...]
Retail footfall drops again in August as economy slows September 9, 2019 The number of Britons venturing out to visit shops fell again in August, bringing yet more problems for a retail sector that has suffered a number of casualties this year. Read more: Hot weather fails to heat up retail sales in August Footfall fell by 1.3 per cent in August year on year, compared to [...]
JP Morgan set to pip rivals for Saudi Aramco mega-float September 8, 2019 Bankers at JP Morgan Chase could get bragging rights by leading history’s biggest public float, it was revealed. The company is close to winning the role as adviser to Saudi Aramco as it looks to hit stock markets potentially as early as November, Reuters reported, citing sources. The decision is not final, and could be [...]
Hell for Leaither: DWF boss on the firm’s post-float fortunes September 8, 2019 DWF is a firm that lawyers at rival firms love to hate. Founded in Liverpool 40 years ago, DWF has expanded at a rapid pace, growing from a regional player to an international firm, swallowing rivals along the way. Over the last decade its revenue grew nearly 350 per cent to £272m, and in March, [...]
Swiss stock exchange boss urges London to protect itself in EU negotiations September 8, 2019 The boss of Switzerland’s biggest stock exchange has warned Britain to be ready to protect its financial services industry against measures from the European Union. Read more: Swiss minister says country unlikely to sign EU deal soon Jos Dijsselhof’s Zurich-based Six exchange is at the centre of the EU’s row with Switzerland over trading that [...]
Boris Johnson’s former advisor Gerard Lyons misses Bank of England governor shortlist September 7, 2019 The former economic advisor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson has failed to make the final shortlist to become the Bank of England’s next governor. Gerard Lyons had been the favourite to take over from Mark Carney due to his personal relationship with Johnson, but the Treasury have deemed him unsuitable for the role, according to [...]
Cuadrilla owners look for exit September 6, 2019 The owners of Britain’s only active fracking company are reportedly looking to exit the business after a series of setbacks to the struggling industry. Riverstone and Kerogen, two of the investors in Cuadrilla, have hired bankers at the Royal Bank of Canada to help facilitate the exit, Bloomberg reported. Cuadrilla declined to comment when contacted [...]
US adds 130,000 jobs in August as trade war slows growth September 6, 2019 The US added a modest 130,000 jobs to the economy in August, as its trade war with China finally appeared to take a toll on hiring. The figure fell to just 96,000 jobs excluding government recruitment last month, the lowest number since May. Read more: Sterling falls as investors remain cautious ahead of US jobs [...]
How Robert Mugabe brought Zimbabwe’s economy to its knees September 6, 2019 In the United States, a $100 trillion dollar note would be worth more than five-times the country’s GDP. But at one stage in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe it would barely get you a loaf of bread. Zimbabwe’s 100 trillion dollar note had the most zeros of any legal tender on the planet. That reads: $100,000,000,000,000. It [...]