JD Sports shares pop as firm raises profit outlook January 11, 2021 Sportswear giant JD Sports saw its shares rise 4.6 per cent this morning after the firm announced that full-year profit would “significantly ahead” of estimates. In a trading update, the FTSE 100 firm said that “robust” sales during the pandemic would see it come in ahead of the £295m forecast. That’s despite the fact the [...]
Ladbrokes owner CEO to leave after just seven months for DAZN January 11, 2021 Ladbrokes owner Entain this morning said its chief executive Shay Segev will leave after just seven months in the position. Segev will exit after a six-month notice period to join sports streaming platform DAZN as Co-CEO, only days after Entain rejected an £8bn approach from MGM. Chairman of Entain Barry Gibson said, “We are sorry [...]
New York fund GIP takes lead in bidding war for Signature Aviation January 11, 2021 The board of Signature Aviation have this morning accepted a $4.6bn (£3.4bn) takeover offer from New York fund Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Shares in the firm rose 8.8 per cent on the back of the announcement. The $5.50 a share bid beat off competition from Blackstone, which had won the backing of billionaire Bill Gates, [...]
Heathrow passenger numbers fall nearly 75 per cent in 2020 January 11, 2021 Just 22.1m passengers passed through Heathrow Airport in 2020, it was revealed today, a 73 per cent fall year-on-year. The UK’s biggest airport said that the coronavirus had seen 58m fewer travellers pass through its gates than in 2019. Cargo volumes through Britain’s biggest port also fell 28.2 per cent because of restrictions on international [...]
The Bribery Act: Ten years on January 11, 2021 This year marks ten years since the Bribery Act came into force. It was enacted in 2010 but was not active until the following year. In May 2019 a House of Lords Select Committee of which I was a member scrutinised the Bribery Act and concluded that overall it was working well. The immediate reaction from businessmen at the outset when the Bribery Bill was [...]
City watchdog issues crypto warning as price of Bitcoin soars January 11, 2021 City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned consumers that investing in cryptoassets is “very high risk”, after some firms promised high returns for the investment. The FCA said customers “should be prepared to lose all their money” if they invest in cryptoassets, which is considered a high risk and volatile investment strategy. The [...]
Revolut applies for UK banking license January 11, 2021 Revolut has applied for a UK banking licence, which would allow it to provide customers full service current accounts and products like overdrafts, loans and deposit accounts. A UK license would also mean customers had the security of protection of up to £85,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK’s lifeboat fund. Revolut [...]
Easyjet secures $2bn loan as coronavirus pain goes on January 11, 2021 Easyjet has today secured a new $1.9bn (£1.4bn) five year loan as it takes further steps to bolster its finances amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, the carrier said that the loan would “significantly extend and improve easyJet’s debt maturity profile and strengthen easyJet’s balance sheet by increasing the level of available liquidity”. The [...]
FCA approves world’s first air travel revenue hedging system January 11, 2021 The UK’s financial regulators has approved Airbus subsidiary Skytra’s Air Travel Price Indices, a key step in allowing airlines to manage revenue volatility. Through building the world’s largest air ticketing database, the firm has developed a set of regulated benchmarks based on US$ per Revenue Passenger Kilometre ($/RPK). This represents the price of air travel [...]
Dr. Martens gearing up for stock market float January 11, 2021 Dr. Martens is readying itself for an IPO, and hoping to trade on the main market of the London Stock Exchange after more than 60 years in business. The iconic footwear brand has engaged Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as join global co-ordinators, and Barclays, HSBC, Merrill Lynch and RBC Europe as joint bookrunners in [...]
