Huawei finance chief Meng Wanzhou faces final stage of extradition hearing March 15, 2021 Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou will appear in court in Canada today as her long-running US extradition case enters its final stage. Meng was arrested at Vancouver Airport in 2018 on US charges of misleading HSBC over Huawei’s dealings in Iran, causing the bank to violate sanctions against the country. She has since been [...]
Stripe tops US startup rankings as valuation jumps to $95bn March 15, 2021 Digital payments firm Stripe has become the most valuable private company in Silicon Valley after fresh funding drove up its price tag to $95bn (£68bn). The financial services firm last night announced it had raised $600m in fresh capital from investors including Allianz, Baillie Gifford, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Sequoia Capital, and Ireland’s National [...]
Screenshot: Does the UK media have a racism problem? March 12, 2021 This week: **Media Moment of the Week: GMB gets a new frontman **Does the UK media have a racism problem? **Deliveroo’s IPO giveaway; BT gets in a bind Media Moment of the Week: GMB gets a new frontman What a week it’s been for ITV. In the space of 24 hours it racked up bumper [...]
FTSE closes higher and Wall St bounds ahead on $1.9 trillion US stimulus package March 11, 2021 The FTSE 100 pushed slightly higher today as final confirmation of a bumper $1.9 trillion US stimulus package cheered investors. The blue-chip index was up 0.17 per cent at 6,736 points by market close, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 pushed 0.59 per cent higher. Mining stocks such as Rio Tinto, Anglo American and BHP Group, [...]
WPP commits to London headquarters despite plans to slash office space March 11, 2021 Advertising giant WPP today committed to its London headquarters despite wider plans to slash office space amid a shift to home working. The media group, which owns ad agencies such as Ogilvy, Grey and Group M, has said it will look to reduce its office footprint by a fifth in the coming years. Chief executive [...]
Playtech swings to €73m loss as lockdown hits casinos March 11, 2021 Gambling software group Playtech swung to a €73m (£62.5m) loss last year as coronavirus lockdowns shuttered casinos across Europe. The FTSE 250 firm’s loss compared to a €55.9m profit in the previous year. Revenue dropped by a quarter to just over €1bn. Shares in Playtech dropped almost three per cent in morning trading. The downbeat [...]
WPP resumes £620m share buyback as it eyes return to growth March 11, 2021 WPP today said it would resume its £620m share buyback programme and restore its dividend as the advertising giant eyes a return to growth this year. The London-listed ad group halted the buyback, funded by its $4bn sale of Kantar in 2019, and the payout due to the pandemic. But it today said up to [...]
Pub group Mitchells & Butlers seals £350m emergency cash raise March 11, 2021 Mitchells & Butlers today confirmed it has raised £350m in emergency funding after shareholders took control of the embattled pub group. The company, which owns Toby Cavery and All Bar One, raised £350.5m through an open offer that will see it issue 167m new shares. Mitchells & Butlers launched the cash raise last month after [...]
Marshalls lifts forecasts after home improvement boom March 11, 2021 Marshalls has raised its forecasts for the full year after a boom in Brits carrying out home improvements drove the landscaping firm to a record start to the year. The London-listed firm posted a 13.5 per cent drop in revenue in 2020 to £469.5m, driven largely by a sharp slump in sales in the first [...]
BP makes almost $4bn from energy trading as oil demand wanes March 11, 2021 BP’s trading division is said to have made almost $4bn (£2.8bn) last year as the oil major weathered the impact of the pandemic on oil demand. The blue-chip giant’s trading profit was only just short of the record amount of slightly over $4bn it made in 2019, according to internal documents seen by Reuters. Trading [...]
