IPO and M&A markets braced for further headache in 2020 October 14, 2019 Corporate dealmakers are bracing themselves for a further slowdown in business next year, with a new report forecasting a sharp slump in activity as geopolitical uncertainty mounts. Initial public offerings (IPO) and merger and acquisitions (M&A) are set to drop in both activity and value during 2020 amid trade wars and growing fears of a [...]
Increase in financial services jobs available as the City weathers Brexit uncertainty October 14, 2019 The number of financial services jobs available in London increased during the third quarter, alongside the number of job seekers, but political uncertainty is still casting a cloud over the capital’s job market, according to new research. Between July and September, the number of new financial services roles increased 12 per cent on the previous [...]
Hire dyslexic people to cover skill shortages, says report October 14, 2019 Hiring dyslexic people will help companies cover skills shortages as workplaces become increasingly automated, according to a new report. People with dyslexia possess “specific strengths” that will be increasingly in demand as companies adopt technologies such as machine learning, say EY and charity Made by Dyslexia. Read more: Job losses mount as no-deal Brexit fears [...]
Labour’s renationalisation plan ‘would cost £200bn’ October 14, 2019 The Labour party’s plans to renationalise water and energy utilities, train companies and the Royal Mail would cost at least £196bn, new analysis by the country’s biggest employer organisation has revealed. The huge sum is equivalent to the total amount of income tax paid by UK citizens in a single year, and is almost as [...]
City of London Corporation looks east to China in post-Brexit plans October 13, 2019 London must capitalise on the US-China trade war to increase Chinese investment and help offset the potential effects of Brexit, according to the City’s governing body. The City of London Corporation proposes to position London as a “top global financial centre” and as a “supporter to China’s financial reform” in a motion to be reviewed [...]
Parcel pandemonium: Royal Mail braces for Christmas strike chaos October 13, 2019 Letter and parcel deliveries could be thrown into disarray over Christmas as Royal Mail workers threaten to launch strike action. Read more: Royal Mail launches search for new UK director More than 100,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have been balloted over strike action, with the results expected on Tuesday. If passed, the [...]
Spotlight on Pizza Express as debt pile sparks fears for chain’s future October 13, 2019 Speculation over the future of Pizza Express mounted over the weekend amid reports of potential store closures and debt restructuring talks. The pizza chain, which is looking to slash its £1.1bn debt pile, has denied suggestions that it is mulling mass closures after a tough spell of trading. Read more: Twitter is scared Pizza Express [...]
Property giant Land Securities eyes £650m sale to fund real estate expansion October 13, 2019 Property giant Land Securities is reportedly close to selling a £650m stake in a leisure portfolio to private equity property investor CIT Partners. Land Securities is understood to have agreed to sell its 95 per cent share of the X-Leisure Unit Trust – which is behind developments including Xscape Milton Keynes and Brighton Marina – [...]
Rail franchising model set to be scrapped by Boris Johnson October 13, 2019 The UK’s rail franchising system is set to be drastically overhauled as early as next year. Plans will be announced in tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech to scrap the current rail franchising model – where contracts are awarded to private companies to run commercial rail services – and replace it with a system based on “performance and [...]
Rees-Mogg urges Brexiteers to trust Boris Johnson on Brexit negotiations October 13, 2019 Arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has said compromises over Brexit “are inevitable” as he seeks to get leavers to trust Boris Johnson. Rees-Mogg wrote in The Telegraph today that Brexiteers must get behind any deal the prime minister strikes with the European Union in a message aimed at members of the Eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG). Read [...]