FTSE 100 slides again but Wall Street edges up January 12, 2021 The FTSE 100 dropped again today after Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned that the economy would get worse before it got better. Across the Atlantic, Wall Street’s main markets crept upwards as traders looked for details of a new stimulus package for the distressed economy. London’s premier index was up 0.1 per cent at the opening [...]
European car giants count cost of dire year for auto industry January 12, 2021 European car giants this morning began to lay out of the full cost of the coronavirus pandemic on their performances in 2020. Over the course of the year, vehicle sales plummeted as factories and showrooms were shuttered around the world. French auto firm Renault said that worldwide sales fell 21.3 per cent last year as [...]
DIY firm Kingfisher sales jump on online boom January 12, 2021 Home improvement firm Kingfisher said that a boom in online sales had seen fourth quarter sales rise 16.9 per cent. In a trading update, the London-listed firm said that it was comfortable with the top end of current estimates for profit of £667m-£742m this year. It added that e-commerce sales had increased by 150 per [...]
Recruiter Robert Walters profit falls a quarter January 12, 2021 Recruitment firm Robert Walters said that gross profit fell nearly a quarter in the final period of trading amid the coronavirus crisis. The FTSE 250 company said that profit for the fourth quarter came in at £71.4m, down 24 per cent from £94.2m in the same period last year. The fall represents an improvement on [...]
Ahead of COP26, what’s on industry leaders’ climate change wishlists this year? January 12, 2021 At the moment, it’s hard to think beyond the next six weeks, but 2021 is set to be a huge year for climate action around the world. Front and centre is November’s COP26 conference, which will see the world’s leaders descend on Glasgow for the latest round of the United Nations’ ongoing climate change negotiations. [...]
Covid rule-breakers ‘increasingly likely’ to be fined, says police chief January 12, 2021 Those caught breaking Covid rules are now “increasingly likely” to be fined by the police, London’s top officer has said. Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said: “Most people are doing the right thing to keep each other safe, but sadly a small minority of people continue to flagrantly ignore the rules, for example by holding [...]
Exclusive: TfL took legal advice on cancelling First Group tram contract after fatal Croydon crash January 12, 2021 Transport for London (TfL) was considering cancelling Tram Operations Limited’s (TOL) contract to run the Croydon tram network in the aftermath of 2016’s fatal crash, but concluded it would be too difficult to do so. City A.M. has obtained TfL documents from 2017 showing that the transport operator received legal advice on whether it could [...]
Jaguar Land Rover secures second straight quarter of sales growth January 11, 2021 Jaguar Land Rover closed out a brutal year for the car industry with a second successive quarter of sales growth, the luxury car brand reported today. The auto firm sold 128,469 cars in the last quarter, up 13.1 per cent from 113,569 vehicles sold in the preceding quarter. However, as a result of the pandemic, [...]
Software firm NCR makes $1.7bn bid for Cardtronics January 11, 2021 Software firm NCR has offered to buy cash machine operator Cardtronics for around $1.7bn (£1.3bn), it was announced today. The company, which provides technology for the financial, retail and hospitality industries, has offered $39 per share for Cardtronics. The bid comes weeks after it was reported that the latter firm had agreed to a $35 [...]
Prince Charles urges business to back new ‘Earth Charter’ January 11, 2021 Prince Charles will today urge the private sector to sign up to the “Terra Carta”, a new environmental pledge to protect the natural world. The “Earth charter”, which takes its name from the Magna Carta, has already been signed by dozens of high profile businesses. These include Astrazeneca, Bank of America, EY, Unilever, and Blackrock, [...]
