Law firms help drive record demand for London office space February 23, 2023 Law firms, accounting firms and consultancies acquired a record 2.5m sq ft of central London office space in 2022, following a boom in the professional services sector’s revenues. London’s top services firms took up 50 per cent more office space last year than in 2021, as the sector capitalised on an “unprecedented” surge in demand, [...]
Truss warns Sunak over Northern Ireland Protocol deal amid ‘resignation-watch’ denials February 23, 2023 Liz Truss has reportedly warned Rishi Sunak her support for any potential Northern Ireland Protocol agreement depends on retaining changes made under her foreign office posting. Former PM Truss, whose disastrous ‘mini-budget’ sent financial markets into a tailspin last year, has become the second ex-Tory leader to speak out ahead of a much anticipated deal. [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown chief on spats with the founder, his time at the top and the power of retail investors February 23, 2023 At times of turbulence, retail investors are entirely rational creatures. At least, that’s the view of Chris Hill, the outgoing boss of Britain’s largest retail investment and savings platform, Hargreaves Lansdown. Hill – who has been at the helm of the retail giant since 2016 and is preparing to step down in November – was [...]
Intel slashes dividends by two-thirds in wake of falling revenue February 23, 2023 Intel has been forced to slash its dividends with its shareholders by nearly two-thirds as the tech giant attempts to hold on to funds in the wake of falling revenue. According to a report in the Financial Times, the chipmaker is now set to give a small quarterly payout of 12.5 cents down from the [...]
Serco wins £570m contract to run US public health insurance schemes February 23, 2023 British outsourcing giant Serco has won a $690m (£573m) contract from the US government to administer the country’s public health insurance schemes. Serco will run back-office delivery of America’s public health insurance initiatives in determining whether US citizens are eligible to buy coverage through the government-backed schemes. Serco’s renewed contract, which it first won [...]
Bank of England Mann warns interest rates need to keep rising to squash inflation February 23, 2023 Interest rates in the UK will have to keep rising to prevent inflation sticking around for too long, a member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) warned today. Catherine Mann, who joined the rate setting group in September 2021 as an external member, said at an event hosted by the Resolution Foundation [...]
Looking at securities fraud in crypto, what makes a lawyer worry, and the famous ‘uncertainty principle’ February 23, 2023 Crypto lawyer Charlie Kerrigan examines the uncertain world of US securities laws and why they can be applied in the UK.
UK will have highest growth in G7 under Labour, Keir Starmer pledges February 23, 2023 The UK should become the highest growth economy in the G7, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he unveiled a package of national missions. Speaking in Manchester this morning, Sir Keir revealed a set of five ambitions for the country, with a general election expected to take place in the next 18 months. [...]
Volatility returns to crypto markets and Bitcoin is back over $24k following mixed inflation info February 23, 2023 Bitcoin retraced after the Fed’s mixed messaging of slowing markets with persistent high inflation before rallying again to $24,454.
WPP shares soar as ad giant defies fears of marketing slowdown February 23, 2023 London-based communications and advertising firm WPP has seen its shares soar over five per cent this morning after the group posted stellar earnings for 2022. The firm saw its revenues soar 13 per cent to £14.4bn in 2022, up from £12.8bn in the same period last year, assuaging fears that companies would pull back marketing spending [...]