Gambling firms’ shares slide following credit card ban January 14, 2020 Shares in several major gambling companies have fallen this morning after the industry watchdog announced it would ban betting using credit card deposits. The ban, which comes into effect from April, covers all online and offline betting, with the exception of “non-remote” lotteries including the National Lottery. Read more: Watchdog to introduce credit card gambling [...]
Travelex restores some electronic services following cyber attack January 13, 2020 Foreign exchange company Travelex is beginning to restore some electronic systems almost two weeks after hackers held the company’s systems to ransom, leading to a global blackout of its online services. Staff at the foreign exchange giant had been forced to use pen and paper to serve thousands of customers after a cyber attack forced [...]
Hong Kong mulls ‘competitive’ tax measures to attract private equity funds January 13, 2020 Hong Kong’s finance secretary has said its government is considering a more “competitive” tax arrangement to attract private equity funds to the territory and help support its struggling economy. Speaking at a regional finance forum on Monday, finance secretary Paul Chan said Hong Kong’s banking system was running smoothly and had ample liquidity despite the [...]
UK GDP: Pound slips on unexpectedly weak growth figures January 13, 2020 Sterling has slipped following news that the economy shrank unexpectedly in November, extending earlier losses against the dollar. The UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0.3 per cent during the month as the manufacturing and production sectors declined more than expected. The figure was expected to be flat. Read more: Sterling sinks below $1.30 as [...]
Iran protesters take to streets for third day after shooting down of plane January 13, 2020 Protesters have taken to the streets of Iran for a third day running, as outage over the authorities’ admission it accidentally shot down a Ukranian airliner, despite repeated denials that Iranian forces were responsible. Demonstrations in the country began on Saturday following the Iranian military’s admission that it had mistakenly shot down the plane, killing [...]
Iran’s ambassador to UK summoned by Foreign Office following arrest of British ambassador January 13, 2020 Iran’s ambassador to the UK has been summoned by the Foreign Office in response to the “unacceptable” arrest of the British ambassador to Iran in Tehran this weekend. Robert Macaire was detained for a short time on Saturday night after attending a vigil for those who died when Iranian forces mistakenly shot down a passenger [...]
London Stock Exchange set to send $27bn Refinitiv deal to EU regulators January 13, 2020 The London Stock Exchange Group is reportedly set to file its $27bn (£20.8bn) deal to buy financial data group Refinitiv with EU antitrust authorities, following extensive discussions with Brussels over the scope of its investigation into the merger. The two sides have not yet resolved the issue of what constitutes “the market” against which the [...]
Willie Walsh to step down as chief executive of British Airways owner IAG January 9, 2020 Willie Walsh, the outspoken CEO of British Airways’ owner International Airlines Group (IAG), is to step down, in a move likely to elicit a sigh of relief among politicians, union bosses and rival airline chiefs alike. IAG said this morning that Walsh, 58, would quit as chief executive in March, and officially retire on 30 [...]
Apple’s iPhone sales surging in China, government data shows January 9, 2020 Sales of Apple’s iPhone in China jumped over 18 per cent year-on-year in December, according to government data. China is gearing up for the Lunar New Year in late January – a major holiday for gift-giving in the country. Read more: Apple rekindles relationship with Imagination Technologies with new deal Apple shipped roughly 3.2 million [...]
Marks & Spencer shares slip as clothing underperformance weighs on Christmas trading January 9, 2020 Marks & Spencer’s Christmas performance was weakened by poor sales in its menswear business, after the retailer ordered too many skinny jeans in the wrong sizes. The high street chain said it over ordered skinny and slim-fit mens’ trousers, under-bought regular fit jeans and had too many small sizes and not enough medium and large. [...]
