Glencore braced for coronavirus impact as earnings fall February 18, 2020 Glencore saw earnings drop 26 per cent to $11.6bn (£9bn) last year as the commodities giant warned that it was “closely watching” the coronavirus outbreak’s impact on global markets. Shares in the blue-chip stock fell 0.8 per cent as markets opened. The figures Although earnings declined to $11.6bn from $15.8bn in 2018, Glencore still beat [...]
Global goods trade slows as coronavirus expected to dent growth February 17, 2020 Global trade in goods is set for further weak growth this year and will potentially be made even worse by the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China. World Trade Organization’s (WTO) goods trade indicator fell to a reading 95.5 this month, down from 96.6 in November. A reading of 100 or above is a sign of [...]
IR35: Business groups urge Rishi Sunak to suspend rollout February 17, 2020 Employment groups have urged the new chancellor Rishi Sunak to suspend the IR35 new tax regulations for self-employed workers or risk damaging the economy. According to industry bodies, the changes, which are due to come into effect in April, will lead to a third of self-employed contractors stopping freelancing over non-compliance fears. Andy Chamberlain, deputy [...]
UK confidence in household finances hits record high February 17, 2020 UK households’ perceptions of their financial wellbeing rose to their highest ever levels this month in a sign of growing optimism over the UK’s economic prospects. IHS Markit’s UK Household Finance Index (HFI) – which measures households’ overall perceptions of financial wellbeing – increased to 47.6 in February, up from 44.6 in January. Although the [...]
Tullow Oil sees stock fall again as drilling comes up dry February 17, 2020 Tullow Oil’s shares fell six per cent this morning as the exploratory firm said that it would abandon one of its wells in Peru after failing to find oil while drilling there. The well, of which Tullow owns a 35 per cent stake, was the first to be drilled in the offshore Tumbes basin, a [...]
Petra Diamonds books $10m loss as prices decline February 17, 2020 Petra Diamonds fell to a loss in the first half of the year after increasing production at the miner was offset by a decline in diamond prices. Shares in the firm fell over nine per cent in early trading. The figures The company booked a $10m loss in the six months to December, a swing [...]
Anglo takeover becomes Sirius’ last hope as alternative falls through February 14, 2020 Embattled UK miner Sirius Minerals said today that it had dropped an alternative funding scheme to its takeover by Anglo American as it was unviable. Last week the firm, which is seeking funds to develop the North Yorkshire polyphalite project, the UK’s largest mine in a generation, said it was exploring potential financing of €680m [...]
Coronavirus: What are the symptoms of Covid-19 and how can I avoid catching it? February 14, 2020 Having originated in China at the beginning of the year, a new coronavirus called Covid-19 has now spread to 24 countries, stoking fears of a pandemic. There have been nine confirmed cases in the UK, five of which were linked to the same person. The UK has raised the risk posed by the illness from [...]
Water industry hits back at Ofwat over price determinations February 14, 2020 Two more water companies have referred Ofwat to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today over its five-year financial plan for the sector, after Yorkshire Water did so on Monday. Both Anglian and Northumbrian Water have referred the regulator’s price determinations, with the latter claiming that the plan runs “contrary to the long term best [...]
Astrazeneca profits slump in final quarter as firm warns of coronavirus hit February 14, 2020 Pharmaceuticals giant Astrazeneca saw profit nearly halve in the fourth quarter as the firm hit a bump in its road to recovery. The FTSE blue chip warned that its 2020 growth would take a hit due to the expected knock-on effect of the coronavirus in China, its second biggest market. Shares in the UK firm [...]
