Easyjet’s rising cost base could delay long-awaited share price takeoff May 18, 2023 Easyjet’s dreams of share price take off, caused by a recent uptick in demand, could be held back by soaring fuel costs and inflation as the airline saw group costs increase to £3.1bn this morning. The low cost carrier reported a revenue increase of 80 per cent to £2.7bn in its half year results, but [...]
Bumper UK growth pushes Investec upwards despite volatile global markets May 18, 2023 Investec’s profit climbed in 2023 thanks to rising interest rates but the bank also saw its funds under management slip amid a volatile environment. Investec’s adjusted operating profit rose 21.6 per cent to £835.9m reflecting growth in both of Investec’s main markets. In the UK, profit rose by over 30 per cent while in South [...]
Royal Mail blames strike action for slumping to year loss of more than £1bn May 18, 2023 Royal Mail has blamed strike action for helping send it slumping to a full-year loss of more than £1 billion. The group’s owner, International Distributions Services (IDS), revealed Royal Mail swung to an operating loss of £1.04 billion for the year to March 26, against earnings of £250 million the previous year. On an underlying [...]
Burberry boosted by China re-opening as share price darling reports solid growth May 18, 2023 Burberry boss Jonathan Akeroyd said this morning he was “very pleased” with a set of full-year results that saw reported profit up more than 20 per cent year on year. Revenues topped the £3bn mark in the twelve months to the start of April this year, with the fourth quarter given a significant boost by [...]
Mark Kleinman’s must-read column: Apollo, Ofgem and Hargreaves Lansdown May 18, 2023 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ Business Editor and writes a must-read column for City A.M. on the biggest business stories of the week Apollo’s failed missions will make take-private landings harder Apollo and ground-breaking missions of accomplishment have long been synonymous. Right now, for the US-based investment firm of the same name, simply getting the [...]
Sunak in China row over Confucius Institute U-turn May 18, 2023 Downing Street has refused to elaborate on Rishi Sunak’s decision not to ban controversial Confucius Institutes from operating in the UK. The Prime Minister previously pledged during his leadership bid to bar the 30 Beijing-linked organisations from running on UK soil. Confucius institutes are Chinese cultural and language outposts. But he has now walked back [...]
Starmer vows to break high-tax, low-growth ‘doom loop’ May 18, 2023 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed the Labour Party will ensure “investment thrives” in order to boost growth in the UK economy if he is elected Prime Minister. The opposition leader hinted he would step up government investment and launch policies to boost private investment. Asked by City A.M. about investment and tax and spending policies, [...]
Critics pour cold water on sewage companies’ apology for spills May 18, 2023 Critics have poured cold water on sewage companies apologising for spills as they prepare to invest £10bn in modernisation. The bid to clean up Britain’s waters comes in the wake of campaigning from environmental activists and locals over the scale of sewage spillages from big water companies. Water UK, the industry membership body, yesterday announced [...]
After being fined, banks move to ban Whatsapp – but many worry it won’t work May 18, 2023 An increasing number of banks and financial services firms have banned their staff from using encrypted messaging apps such as Whatsapp for work purposes after regulators hit banks with hefty fines for failing to stamp out the practice. A survey by tech firm Global Relay found that 59 per cent of respondents, which included some [...]
The London Stock Exchange has now passed the zenith of its global influence May 18, 2023 In an effort to eliminate financial risks through regulation, we've also eliminated returns. The London Stock Exchange is suffering the consequences of such a risk-averse approach, writes Roger Clarke