Decentralising the NHS could be a game-changer for the UK’s future health January 20, 2021 The NHS is a highly centralised organisation. During the Covid crisis, policy decisions have been made at the top and then passed down. There has been little scope for showing initiative at a local level. This dates back to when the NHS was set up in the late 1940s. Central planning was very fashionable at the time. [...]
How finding the quality within value was crucial in 2020 January 20, 2021 There are two broad areas of value in the UK market, financials and commodities, that in aggregate make up around a third of the FTSE All Share index. Within this, however, there are vast differences in both quality and performance. (Please see the end of this article for a glossary of terms). 2020 was a [...]
Burberry sales fall slightly as business weathers pandemic January 20, 2021 Store sales fell at Burberry during the third quarter of 2021, as the coronavirus lockdown forced the closure of 62 stores – 15 per cent of its store network. In an update this morning the business said its collections had resonated with consumers, and so despite Covid restrictions it achieved “a high single-digit full-price-sales [...]
Tax penalties double in six months following lockdown lull January 20, 2021 The value of penalties imposed by HMRC has doubled in the last six months, with November up nearly 100 per cent on May. Some £41m was collected from penalties in November 2020, up a whopping 97 per cent from the £21m that was collected in May, according to HMRC’s receipts and expenditure data. Penalties could [...]
UK dividends won’t recover until 2025 at the earliest after bruising year January 20, 2021 UK dividends are unlikely to recover until 2025 at the earliest after a catastrophic year for payouts amid the pandemic. Eight years of growth wiped off UK dividends last year as companies started to make cuts at the beginning of the second quarter following the outbreak of coronavirus. Payouts fell 44 per cent to £61.9bn [...]
CMC Markets continues winning streak during pandemic following record results January 20, 2021 CMC Markets performed well in the third quarter of its 2021 financial year, though numbers were down slightly following a bumper start to the year. Client retention in Q3 2021 stood in excess of 80 per cent, but below levels reported in H1 2021. In the year so far the online trading and B2B platform [...]
WH Smith expects £20m monthly cash burn as restrictions continue January 20, 2021 WH Smith expects a monthly cash burn of £15m to £20m from January to March 2021, assuming Covid-19 restrictions stay as they are. Trading at the book and stationary chain was ahead of plan toward the end of 2020, so the business had some £340m of available cash and facilities at the end of December [...]
UK inflation doubles in a month as transport prices rise January 20, 2021 UK inflation doubled in December as prices rose during the festive period, the Office for National Statistics has announced. Prices in the run-up to Christmas were up 0.6 percent compared to a year earlier and rose from 0.3 per cent in November. Higher prices for transport, recreation and culture were flagged by statisticians, despite food [...]
Trump vows ‘movement is just beginning’ and pardons Bannon before leaving Washington January 20, 2021 Donald Trump has pardoned his former adviser Steve Bannon, who is facing fraud charges, in one of his final acts as President of the United States. Prosecutors said Bannon and three others defrauded hundreds of donors in connection with Trump’s wall campaign, which raised $25m. It was alledged Bannon then used at least $1m to [...]
BBC warned to ready itself for lower licence fee income by public spending watchdog January 20, 2021 The BBC has been warned to match its priorities and future strategy with an assumption that licence fee income may fall further still.
