Tullow Oil books $1.5bn writedown as it cuts outlook for oil prices January 15, 2020 Tullow Oil sounded the alarm on oil prices today, booking a $1.5bn (£1.15bn) writedown on its outlook after lowering its long-term oil price outlook. The energy firm slashed its prediction for oil prices by $10 to $65 a barrel, with underwhelming well exploration and a reduction in Ghanian reserves also contributing to the writedown. “Tullow [...]
Quiz Christmas sales drop after bumper Black Friday January 15, 2020 Fast fashion brand Quiz reported a “disappointing” drop in sales over the crucial Christmas trading period, as both online and in-store revenue declined despite a strong Black Friday performance. The retailer’s share price plunged 13.61 per cent this morning after it revealed that group revenue plunged 9.3 per cent, dragged down by a 14.8 per [...]
Ten Entertainment sales jump after bowling alley investment January 15, 2020 Tenpin owner Ten Entertainment reported a jump in sales last year following investment in bowling alley refurbishments and new technology. Total sales growth for the year was 10.2 per cent for the year, with like for like sales jumping eight per cent to £84.1m in 2019 in the company’s eighth consecutive year of growth. Read [...]
Northern Line misery as severe Tube delays and Bank branch issues hit commuters January 15, 2020 Northern Line commuters face a miserable journey to work today after a faulty train left the line running with severe Tube delays southbound and a limited Bank branch service. Southbound passengers changed at Camden Town this morning for Bank services before Transport for London (TfL) told them no Bank trains were running after the earlier [...]
Persimmon sales slump due to customer service drive January 15, 2020 Persimmon has reported a slump in revenue and housing completions, which the housebuilder blamed on a decision to “put customers before volume”. The FTSE 100 firm said total group revenue last year was £3.65bn, a 2.4 per cent dip compared to the previous year as it took action to improve quality and customer service following [...]
Fintech can be the silver bullet to banking the UK’s unbanked January 15, 2020 Can new technology help the 1.23m people in the UK who don’t have a bank account? And could it improve the lives of the 10–12m who still struggle to access affordable loans? New research suggests that the answer to both those questions is yes. It is all thanks to London’s booming fintech sector — one [...]
City Moves for 15 January – Who’s switching jobs at the Economist, Twitch and Willow? January 15, 2020 Today’s City Moves includes the Economist, Twitch and Willow The Economist The Economist Group has announced the appointment of Bob Cohn as president and managing director. Bob will lead the core newspaper business, focusing on expanding subscriptions and readership around the world, as well as developing new digital offerings. He joins the Economist Group after [...]
A tip for Dominic Cummings: Don’t hire anyone who fails to grasp the power of incentives January 15, 2020 The job advert issued by Dominic Cummings for people to work in government has attracted a wide range of comments. One particular focus has been on the sorts of skills he is looking for. Computer science, forecasting, artificial intelligence, causality theory — all these topics excite his interest. Cummings advocates a small selection of scientific [...]
Time to cull the ministers who sit around the cabinet table January 15, 2020 Walter Bagehot, one of the fathers of our modern constitutional structure, believed that the cabinet was the “efficient secret” of the British state. But what if the institution is now too large to run the country efficiently? I agree with the assessment from chief Number 10 aide Dominic Cummings that the cabinet as it stands [...]
DEBATE: Is a new ‘Trump deal’ the answer to the Iran nuclear problem? January 15, 2020 Is a new “Trump deal” the answer to the Iran nuclear problem? YES, says Ben Kelly, a commentator for Reaction. Does anyone genuinely believe that Donald Trump’s objection to the Iran nuclear deal was based on detailed analysis of its contents? No. Trump rejected it as part of his obsession with dismantling Barack Obama’s legacy. [...]