Tory grandee Boris Johnson accused of pretending to vote in local elections May 3, 2019 Boris Johnson has been ridiculed for allegedly pretending to vote in the local elections on Thursday, despite none being held in his constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. "I just voted Conservative in the local elections. Make sure you do too! You’ve got two hours left to get out and vote!", Johnson tweeted. Read more: Brexit [...]
Provident moves to reassure investors as sub-prime lender fights hostile takeover bid from rival Non-Standard Finance May 3, 2019 Doorstep lender Provident Financial reported that the business’s performance has picked up as it continues to fight against a £1.3bn hostile takeover by smaller rival Non-Standard Finance (NSF). The firm reported that customer growth in its Vanquis Bank and home credit division was up 13 and 40 per cent respectively, and said historical regulatory issues [...]
‘Dangerous individuals’: Facebook bans far-right figures over hate speech May 3, 2019 Facebook is banning several far-right figures it has labelled “dangerous individuals” in an attempt to quell the spread of hate speech across its platform. The social network said former Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos, Info Wars host Alex Jones, and Info Wars’ UK editor Paul Joseph Watson are all excluded from the site. Read more: [...]
Lloyds Bank: The must-know numbers ahead of Q1 results May 3, 2019 | City Talk By Alistair Strang from interactive investor. Lloyds shares remain in a static state. Our chartist runs the numbers again hoping for a catalyst. When we last reviewed Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY), we admitted considerable discomfort in projecting the share's future potentials. Instead, we opted for the coward's route, suggesting it was probably going to be [...]
An honest guide to meeting props: here’s what your clicky pen, leather notebook and water bottle are really trying to say May 3, 2019 In the theatre of the commedia dell’arte, the character of Arlecchino can be recognised by two props – his mask and his slapstick. The commedia was built on archetypes, quickly establishing who a character was and how they would behave – and with that recognised, everyone could get on with the story. If someone had [...]
Penny pincher? Treasury saves 1p and 2p coins after threat to loose change May 3, 2019 The Treasury has decided the UK will retain copper coins for “years to come” after their future had been in question. Read more: DEBATE: Is biometric technology the future for digital payments? In the Spring Statement in 2018 chancellor Philip Hammond had called for a consultation on the mix of coins and banknotes in circulation. However, [...]
Societe Generale profits fall as French bank implements restructuring plan May 3, 2019 French bank Societe Generale reported a drop in profits as it put in place a restructuring plan following a weak 2018. The figures Read more: Societe Generale to cut 1,600 jobs after investment banking review Profit fell 26 per cent to €631m and revenues dropped 1.6 per cent to €6.19bn. Net losses increased to €51m, [...]
UK economy ‘treading water’ as services sector struggles back to marginal growth May 3, 2019 Britain’s services sector improved just enough to return to growth last month after shrinking in March, but the economy remained “more or less stalled” according to analysts. Read more: US services sector continues its trend of solid growth The services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) stood at 50.4 in April, compared to a more than two-year [...]
China weakness hurts Intercontinental Hotels Group revenue May 3, 2019 The Intercontinental Hotels Group has revealed a decline in hotel occupancy rates as it continues its aggressive expansion plans. The firm, which owns Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Kimpton Hotels, said it had added 12,000 new rooms in the three months to end of March, with another 24,000 to come soon. Read more: Legoland owner [...]
City broker Numis profits plunge due to political uncertainty May 3, 2019 Numis saw profits slide 64 per cent in the first half of the year as the City broker was affected by a slowdown in UK dealmaking and weakening investor sentiment due to the political uncertainty caused by Brexit. The figures Shares fell 3.9 per cent after the AIM-listed company reported profit before tax dropped to [...]