Covid-19: Hotel quarantine policy for UK arrivals will begin on 15 February February 4, 2021 The long-delayed hotel quarantine policy for all UK arrivals from 33 'red list' countries is set to begin on 15 February
GameStop’s stock slide speeds up as US senator steps in February 4, 2021 The slide in GameStop shares accelerated today as US officials warned they may step in to investigate the trading frenzy that has roiled markets in recent weeks. A surge in buying by amateur traders, fuelled by activity on social media, sparked big moves in shares of companies that were shorted by Wall Street hedge funds. [...]
Wall Street rises on stimulus talks as FTSE 100 closes flat February 4, 2021 Wall Street pushed higher this afternoon as investors looked to corporate earnings and signs of progress on more pandemic stimulus. The Dow Jones was up 0.91 per cent, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 0.86 and 0.88 per cent respectively. It came after the FTSE 100 closed four points lower this afternoon as sterling [...]
Government ‘in denial’ about post-Brexit fishing problems, say industry leaders February 4, 2021 The government is “in denial” about the size of disruption to the UK’s fishing industry post-Brexit, according to Scottish industry leaders. Scottish Seafood Association chief Jimmy Buchan told MPs today that disruption to fish exports were not just “teething problems” as said by Boris Johnson and that companies were losing an estimated £1m a day. [...]
DNA testing firm 23andMe goes public through Branson’s ‘blank cheque’ SPAC February 4, 2021 DNA testing firm 23andMe has announced it will go public through merging with Sir Richard Branson’s SPAC, after the firm was valued at $3.5bn. The deal will see Branson and 23andMe chief executive Anne Wojcicki each put in $25m into a $250m private investment in public equity offering. Other investors include Fidelity Management & Research Company [...]
Sterling jumps following BoE’s decision to hold interest rates February 4, 2021 The pound rebounded this afternoon as the Bank of England announced it would leave interest rates unchanged. The currency saw its biggest fall in three weeks this morning as traders nervously waited to see whether the BoE would formally endorse negative interest rates. The Prudential Regulation Authority’s analysis found the UK would need six months [...]
Vale signs $7bn settlement for deadly Brazil dam disaster February 4, 2021 Mining giant Vale today said it will pay $7bn to a Brazilian state to settle a case originating from a deadly dam disaster in 2019.
Remote working ‘could cost UK economy up to £95bn a year’, report finds February 4, 2021 Remote working could cost the UK economy up to £95bn a year, according to a new report analysing the benefits of office environments. Research commissioned by commercial landlord Landsec found that face-to-face working boosts productivity and innovation and sparks investment in residential and commercial property, business events, meetings and travel. The report found that the [...]
FTSE firms ‘woefully inadequate’ at climate risk disclosure, sparking greenwashing fears February 4, 2021 The overwhelming majority of top listed companies in the UK are “woefully inadequate” at disclosing in corporate reporting how climate change will affect their business – with many potentially breaching the law. More than 90 per cent of companies’ financial accounts and associated audit reports made no reference to climate-change related factors, despite UK law [...]
Airport hotel chain still ‘in the dark’ over new UK quarantine plans February 4, 2021 Britain's biggest airport hotel chain has been "kept in the dark" over how the government's hotel quarantine policy for arrivals will work, a week on from its announcement.