Sir Martin Sorrell: Post-Brexit economy should be ‘Singapore on steroids’ November 12, 2019 Advertising veteran Sir Martin Sorrell has called on the government to pursue a “Singapore on steroids” strategy for the UK economy after Brexit. The former WPP boss, who now runs digital ad firm S4 Capital, said the UK should seek to establish a free-market, pro-business economy similar to that of the Asian financial hub. Read [...]
UK advertisers block ‘Trump’ from campaigns amid fears over brand reputation November 12, 2019 The vast majority of UK advertisers have blocked their campaigns from appearing next to references to Donald Trump amid fears the US President could damage their brand. On average, 87 per cent of campaigns using keyword blocking between March and September excluded the word ‘Trump’, according to new data from Integral Ad Science. Read more: [...]
Moody’s downgrades UK credit rating outlook to ‘negative’ November 9, 2019 Moody’s has signalled there is a possibility it will downgrade the credit rating on government debt amid an “erosion in institutional strength” caused by Brexit. The ratings agency has changed the outlook on its Aa2 rating of the UK’s debt from “stable” to “negative”, implying a rating cut could be imminent. Read more: Sajid Javid [...]
General election 2019: Tories unveil plan for Australian-style, points-based immigration system November 8, 2019 Boris Johnson is to tackle both the issues of health and immigration as the Conservatives unveil plans to introduce an Australian-style, points-based immigration system. The Prime Minister is to announce a new visa that aims to attract more doctors and nurses to the NHS following Brexit. The immigration points-based system is thought to be popular [...]
Top tips for negotiations from Sir Richard Branson November 8, 2019 Israel is famous for its savvy negotiators. So to launch the new Virgin Atlantic route from London to Tel Aviv, I went head-to-head with its residents to put my skills to the test — and I had to bring my A-game. It was no easy feat. The people of Tel Aviv know how to drive [...]
Woodford protege Mark Barnett hit by Morningstar downgrades on two funds November 7, 2019 Two Invesco funds run by a protege of disgraced stockpicker Neil Woodford have been hit by Morningstar downgrades over their exposure to smaller and illiquid companies. The financial research firm downgraded Invesco’s High Income and Income funds – which are both managed by Mark Bartnett – to a “neutral” rating. Read more: Cautious investors drag [...]
Brexit may bring uncertainty, but a Corbyn-led government is a bigger threat November 7, 2019 Where the Brexit vote differs from other political shocks is that three years on, the uncertainty has yet to subside. We’ve learnt little since 2016 about what our long-term relationship with the EU will look like. The Prime Minister now has a deal, but that’s only the start. Unlike the focus group stunned into silence [...]
If you were chancellor, what would be in your Budget? November 6, 2019 Today was scheduled to be the first Budget of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The chancellor announced the Budget last month, saying: “This is the right and responsible thing to do – we must get on with governing.” Unfortunately, to misquote a phrase, the best-laid plans of chancellors and Prime Ministers often go awry. The Budget has [...]
Fimalac builds £500m digital ad firm with Jellyfish deal November 5, 2019 Fimalac, the group owned by French billionaire Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, has bought a majority stake in London-based digital marketing agency Jellyfish as it seeks to compete in an increasingly online advertising landscape. Fimalac data-driven marketing specialist Tradelab will be merged with Jellyfish, the companies said, to create a combined entity with a market capitalisation [...]
US court orders Donald Trump to hand over tax returns November 4, 2019 A US appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump’s accountants must hand over eight years worth of tax returns to New York prosecutors. The decision is a blow to Trump, who has been repeatedly resisted calls by political opponents to publish his financial records. Read more: Nancy Pelosi expects Donald Trump impeachment hearings to [...]