Bottoms up! March 20, 2019 | City Talk If an investor is specifically looking for reasons not to invest, he or she will always find them. Indeed, for one reason or another, it has been said that “now is the most difficult time to invest”, in perpetuity! At present, such reasons are in ample supply – geopolitical concerns, populism, punchy valuations, a lack [...]
Beware of these Tube terrors if you’re travelling on the London Underground March 20, 2019 Only the bravest explorers traverse the London Underground. The tunnels of the Tube have their own microclimate and ecosystem, and are inhabited by a wide array of eccentric species. Most of these specimens are placid, if not friendly, but recently I have observed a worrying trend of hostility from Undergrounders. It’s rough out there, so [...]
Theresa May asks EU to extend Article 50 until 30 June as EU presses for 2020 extension March 20, 2019 Theresa May has asked the EU to delay Brexit by three months to 30 June. The Prime Minister has confirmed that she has asked Brussels to extend Article 50 – the mechanism that allows the UK to leave the EU – for three months rather than to seek a longer extension. Read more: Sterling dips [...]
Labour MP launches last-minute challenge to May’s decision to pursue ‘short’ Brexit delay March 20, 2019 A Labour MP has tabled a last-ditch challenge to Theresa May's decision to seek only a short delay to Brexit. Alison McGovern formally requested an emergency parliamentary debate today on the Prime Minister's plans to extend Brexit. Read more: Prime Minister rules out long Brexit delay It is not clear if her emergency debate motion [...]
Kier shares fall as outsourcer swings to £35.5m loss March 20, 2019 Kier has fallen to a £35.5m loss for the second half of 2018, but said it is in a stronger position after hitting up investors for £250m in a disastrous rights issue that missed its target at the end of last year. Read more: Embattled outsourcer Kier's net debt spirals again after 'accounting error' The figures [...]
Sterling dips lower as Theresa May seeks only a short Brexit delay from EU March 20, 2019 Sterling took a hit this morning as it emerged Theresa May has ruled out seeking a long Brexit delay from the EU. Read more: Prime Minister rules out long Brexit delay Downing Street said the Prime Minister will only request a short extension to Article 50, likely to the end of June, as the UK [...]
For once, John Bercow’s egomaniac meddling actually has a point March 20, 2019 John Bercow is a pompous, smug, self-important showman. The only thing he likes more than the sound of his own voice is being in the limelight – and he isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers in his never-ending search for it. He has turned the centuries-old office of the speaker of the House of Commons into [...]
Emojis are a better metric for national wellbeing than traditional data methods March 20, 2019 HMRC’s programme to make tax digital continues to roll out. Anyone with a small business will know about the imminent deadline of 1 April, when VAT returns become digital. Quick to seize an opportunity, several companies have developed software to ease the task. The digitisation of tax raises the wider issue of whether technology will [...]
Home-buying or retirement: What are Lifetime Isa savers planning to use their money for? March 20, 2019 When then chancellor George Osborne announced that the government would launch the Lifetime Isa in 2017, the industry was stunned. Designed for people under 40 to either save for retirement or for a home, few people saw this hybrid product coming. Alongside concerns that the Isa could distract from the new workplace pension scheme, a lot of [...]
Findel urges shareholders to take no action following Sports Direct offer March 20, 2019 Home shopping firm Findel has urged shareholders to take no action following a £139m offer by Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct. The board rejected the bid and said Sport Direct’s offer of 161p for each Findel share “significantly undervalues” the company. Read more: Mike Ashley's Sports Direct makes official £139m offer for Findel In a statement [...]