KPMG and PwC slapped with fines of almost £3m for botched Eddie Stobart audits June 29, 2023 Big four accountancy firms PwC and KPMG have been fined a total of nearly £3m over botched audits of logistics giant Eddie Stobart in 2017 and 2018. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said this morning it would fine PwC £1.99m and partner Philip Storer £51,000, with both receiving a “severe reprimand.” KPMG received a fine [...]
Moonpig sales boosted by higher prices despite pre-tax profit dip after Royal Mail strikes June 29, 2023 Moonpig Group has revealed a jump in sales as it upped the prices of its greetings cards, but said consumers were buying fewer cards and sending cheaper gifts. The online greetings cards and gifts giant saw its profits decline as it notched up higher costs. It reported a 5.2 per cent increase in its group [...]
Uhoh: Oxford study shows AI really can pick funds better than humans June 29, 2023 An Oxford University study suggests that artificial intelligence and machine learning can pick private equity funds that deliver above-average returns
Big US banks pass Fed stress tests months after SVB collapse in sign they’d ‘weather a severe recession’ June 29, 2023 The largest banks in the US sailed through the Federal Reserve’s annual stress tests, suggesting they would survive a sharp economic downturn. The Fed said the results demonstrate that large banks are “well positioned to weather a severe recession and continue to lend to households and businesses even during a severe recession.” Despite projected losses [...]
Boohoo slams Revolution for ‘lack of transparency’ and demands it publishes share options after heated AGM June 29, 2023 Boohoo slammed Revolution Beauty for “a lack of transparency” this morning, while demanding the troubled makeup brand publishes full details of its share options. It claimed Revolution was burying details of its free share awards – a scheme which gives shares to employees of a listed company – as it laid out a set of demands [...]
Bank of England’s PRA sets out new post Brexit Solvency UK details in bid to unlock investment June 29, 2023 Britain’s main financial watchdog has set out a raft of changes to the EU’s Solvency II regime to improve the competitiveness of the UK insurance market and unlock investment in the economy. In an announcement this morning, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) provided more detail on how it will make adapt the EU’s Solvency II [...]
De La Rue says ‘signs of recovery’ in cash usage after sharp fall in profits June 29, 2023 Cash printer De La Rue has said it sees “signs of a recovery” in money usage this year after a torrid 12 months in which its profit and revenues have contracted sharply. In its full year results today, the cash maker said revenues had tumbled 6.8 per cent to £349.7m in the year to March [...]
B&M: Bargain hunting Brits help budget chain’s revenues top £1bn June 29, 2023 Brits seeking out bargains have continued to drive earnings at value retailer B&M as it reported a 13.5 per cent rise in group revenue in the first leg of the year. The news, however, failed to impress investors as its share price slumped over 6 per cent when markets opened this morning. The homeware to [...]
Thames Water crisis: Government looks to allay fears of potential collapse with nationalisation mooted June 29, 2023 Ministers have looked to allay fears around the impact of Thames Water potentially going under as the regulator vowed to work with the sector to deal with its debt levels. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said there were “contingency plans in place for any eventuality” as Thames Water battles to finance the £14 billion [...]
New CMA bill could undermine UK’s tech superpower ambitions, CPS report warns June 29, 2023 The government should scrap its new Digital Markets, Competitions and Consumers (DMCC) bill because it is already too old, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has warned today. The report, titled ‘The Unregulated Regulator’, alleges that dynamic digital markets have “outpaced” the new legislation. What’s more, it would weaken investment and grant the CMA “extensive [...]
