Investors drop Hikma Pharmaceuticals amid weak financials and CEO’s exit August 4, 2022 Investors dipped out of Hikma Pharmaceuticals today after the British pharmaceutical giant posted weak financials in the wake of its CEO’s exit. Hikma, headquartered in London, reported a largely unchanged revenue of $1.2bn in the six months to 30 June, marking zero growth in comparison with the same period last year. Operating profit sank nearly [...]
MPs set to scrutinise government crypto hub plans in fresh inquiry August 4, 2022 MPs are set to scrutinise the Treasury’s plans to make the UK the “global home of crypto” in a fresh inquiry into the wider crypto and digital assets sector, launched today.
Hundreds of Amazon warehouse workers continue walkout over pay August 4, 2022 Amazon workers at an Essex warehouse are walking out for a second day on Thursday, in a protest calling for a “drastic” pay improvement. On Wednesday night and Thursday, around 400 workers at the Tilbury operation walked out over the US tech giant’s offer of a 35p per hour pay offer. Workers in the GMB [...]
Campaigners challenge mayor’s decision to expand police access to traffic cameras August 4, 2022 Campaigners have launched a legal challenge against London mayor Sadiq Khan over his decision to expand police access to data from traffic cameras. Activists like Green Party London Assembly member Sian Berry called the decision “terrifying”, saying it would increase Londoners’ surveillance and hit ethnic minorities the most. “With human rights under threat from all [...]
Van insurance premiums surge to record highs as inflationary pressures bite August 4, 2022 Van insurance premiums have surged to record highs, after increasing for six consecutive months in a row, due to soaring inflation and widespread price hikes in response to new rules banning the practice of “price walking”. The cost of insuring a van increased by 13.6 per cent during the first six months of the year, [...]
Defence giant Meggitt’s order book value teeters around £1bn ahead of takeover August 4, 2022 Meggitt’s orders are up nearly 50 per cent, teetering around the £1bn mark, as the British defence manufacturer undergoes a foreign takeover. The London-listed firm’s order book has been valued at £996.9m in the six months to 30 June, up from £671.4m in the same period last year, Meggitt revealed today. Revenue has jumped more [...]
Bank of England’s interest rate rise at noon: Brokers and agents across the City give their two cents August 4, 2022 The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, and the rest of the monetary policy committee will hike interest rates 50 basis points today at 12pm. The main reason? Living costs are up 9.4 per cent over the last year, crimping households and businesses and threatening to plunge the UK economy into recession. Energy [...]
UK construction output in ‘contraction territory’ for first time since pandemic August 4, 2022 The UK’s construction output has fallen for the first time since last January, according to US analytics giant S&P Global. Despite healthy employment rates in the country, civil engineering and housing activity declined in July amid spiralling inflation which has hit raw materials, fuel and labour. Gareth Belsham, director of property consultancy and surveyors Naismiths, [...]
D-Day in the City: Bank of England set to make history today by raising interest rates by record 50bps August 4, 2022 Today the Bank of England could make history by raising interest rates by 50bps for the first time since the Monetary Policy Committee was set up back in 1997. In June, the vote was a split decision, and it is quite likely that this one could be too. Then, three members of the MPC voted [...]
UK inflation to surge above 15 per cent, more than seven times Bank of England target August 4, 2022 The Bank of England faces the grim prospect of overseeing the largest inflation surge in recent memory, with prices rising more than seven times faster than its target, a top think tank warned today. A sustained surge in energy costs triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a sudden burst in demand after the Covid-19 [...]