US braces for higher inflation amid pandemic recovery, warns Fed February 17, 2021 The US is trialling ways of bracing the American public for higher inflation rates as a fresh presidency attempts to heal an economy crippled by the ongoing pandemic, according to the Federal Reserve. Minutes released today from a lengthy policy meeting held by the US central bank last month revealed that Fed officials were prepared [...]
City grandee Crispin Odey ‘lunged’ at woman, court hears February 17, 2021 Hedge fund multimillionaire Crispin Odey “lunged” at a young woman and groped her breast during an alleged assault more than 20 years ago, a court heard today. Odey, 62, has denied a single charge of indecent assault at Hendon magistrates’ court in North London. Prosecutor Kerry Broome told the court that Odey accepted he propositioned [...]
Neil Woodford’s comeback: Four City fund managers who also said ‘sorry’ February 17, 2021 News that the disgraced fund manager Neil Woodford is plotting a comeback may have raised eyebrows in the City, but he is not the first stockpicker who said sorry for his vehicle’s performance, and who did manage to stay in the game. Woodford gave an emotional interview over the weekend in which he apologised for the collapse [...]
Bitcoin price through the roof as celebrities jump on the crypto bandwagon February 17, 2021 Bitcoin hit a new record high of $51,300 on Wednesday, up 4.7 per cent in a day. The rise tops off a week of enthusiasm for the cryptocurrency, which saw its price surge above $50k for the first time on Tuesday. Bitcoin has risen 900 per cent since March of last year and many famous [...]
Surge testing for Covid mutations extended to London commuter areas February 16, 2021 A coronavirus testing blitz will be carried out in Surrey, Southampton and Norfolk following confirmed cases of the South Africa Covid variant in the commuter regions. Surge testing and genomic sequencing will be carried out in the GU22 postcode in Woking, SO15 in central Southampton and IP22 in Diss to tackle the “variant of concern”. [...]
Treasury Committee chair: ‘One-off wealth tax’ could patch the Covid gap in public finances February 15, 2021 The MP who leads the Treasury Committee suggested this morning that Chancellor Rishi Sunak should introduce a one-off wealth tax to help revive the country’s public finances. As the pandemic is tearing its way through public finances, the chair of the UK Treasury Committee, Mel Stride, said a one-off wealth tax may be an effective [...]
Neil Woodford’s shock comeback raises eyebrows in the City February 15, 2021 News that the disgraced fund manager Neil Woodford is looking to make a comeback in investment management has taken many in the Square Mile by surprise. The former star manager gave an emotional interview to the Sunday Telegraph yesterday in which he apologised for the collapse of his investment company and said he is working [...]
Neil Woodford apologises for mistakes as former star stockpicker prepares to launch comeback February 14, 2021 Neil Woodford, the scandal-hit investment manager, has apologised for his role in the failure of his flagship fund, as he prepared to launch his comeback. Woodford, whose business collapsed in October 2019, said he was “very sorry” for what he did wrong, but hit out at the actions of administrator Link Fund Solutions. The former [...]
Trump impeachment: Trial extended after Senate votes to call witnesses February 13, 2021 The impeachment trial of former US President Donald Trump has been extended after the Senate voted to allow witnesses. The decision came after it emerged that Trump told a top Republican during the assault on the Capitol that the rioters were “more upset” about his election defeat than politicians. The vote, which passed 55-45 in [...]
Super Mario’s back: Former ECB boss Draghi sworn in as Italian prime minister February 13, 2021 Mario Draghi, former head of the European Central Bank (ECB), has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Italy. Draghi has taken the reins as the head of a unity government formed after the coalition government led by Giuseppe Conte collapsed last month. Following weeks of talks, all but one of Italy’s main [...]