London IPO activity off to a flying start with busiest January since 2006 February 3, 2021 London markets shook off the January blues with a rush of IPOs, a trend that is set to continue through the year. Building on the momentum seen towards the end of last year, it was the busiest January for the City since 2006. It raised $2.2bn from four listings, including Moonpig and Dr Martens, according [...]
BBC to slash programme spend by £400m amid funding squeeze February 3, 2021 The BBC has warned it will have to make significant cuts to programmes and services due to a squeeze on its funding and growing pressure from streaming rivals. The public service broadcaster said it expects to make roughly £408m in content cuts in the upcoming financial year in a bid to shore up its finances. [...]
GameStop: Might the Redditors target the bond market next? February 3, 2021 They say a week is a long time in politics, but perhaps it is even longer in financial markets. Before institutional investors have even had the chance to fully take stock of last week’s events, which saw the David’s of retail trading get one up on the goliaths of the City institutions by sharing trading ideas [...]
EY to buy Frank Hirth’s UK business, leaving some staff in limbo February 3, 2021 Big Four firm EY will acquire the UK business of tax advisory and compliance business Frank Hirth for an undisclosed fee. Around 200 employees and more than 5,000 clients of Frank Hirth will move across to EY. Four Frank Hirth employees currently working out of New Zealand have been left in limbo as a result [...]
Time Out to open Abu Dhabi market as it banks on post-Covid recovery February 3, 2021 Time Out today unveiled plans to open a new food market in Abu Dhabi as the media group pins its hopes on a return to dining out after the pandemic. The market, which is set to open on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island in 2023, will be the company’s second location in the United Arab Emirates, [...]
Stamp duty holiday costs government more than £500m in lost taxes February 3, 2021 The government lost out on more than half a billion pounds in taxes due to the stamp duty holiday, according to the latest figures. Data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) showed that overall stamp duty land tax receipts fell 16 per cent to £2.76bn in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to £3.29bn [...]
Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer butt heads in post-PMQs spat February 3, 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have reportedly been involved in a heated confrontation after today’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Starmer confronted the Prime Minister just outside the House of Commons, after a back-and-forth during PMQs over whether the Labour leader had in the past called for the UK to stay [...]
UK urges EU to extend grace period to 2023 in bid to soften Brexit impact February 3, 2021 Britain has asked the EU for a grace period extension until 2023 on checks made on trade moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has written to the European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic to ask for urgent political solutions on a number of issues at the [...]
Beware those who’d lock us down and throw away the key February 3, 2021 Rather like dedicated Remainers, pro-lockdown enthusiasts never seem to give up. Their ardour will have been fuelled by leaks over the weekend of results from the epidemiological models. Apparently, even though quite soon all the over-70s will have been jabbed, lifting restrictions before the summer would lead to a massive third wave of the virus. [...]
US jobs bounce back in January despite Covid-19 case surge February 3, 2021 Hiring by private employers in the US bounced back in January despite a continued rise in Covid-19 infections, according to new data. Private payrolls increased by 174,000 jobs last month, according to data from ADP. Previously released figures for December were also revised to show jobs fell by 78,000 rather than 123,000. The numbers are [...]
