Westminster year in review: Who is up and who is down in 2020? December 21, 2020 As the UK ushered in 2020 it looked as if Boris Johnson had an unshakeable grasp on Westminster and the Conservative party. Johnson’s election landslide win last December and his victory in dragging the UK out of the EU in January made him look infallible. Before the Open newsletter: Start your day with the City [...]
Pound plummets as countries ban UK travel and Brexit talks falter December 21, 2020 The pound fell off a cliff on Monday after France, Germany and others cut transport links with the UK amid fears of a new coronavirus strain, while Brexit talks reached another impasse. Sterling dropped 2.1 per cent against the dollar to $1.323. It also fell 1.2 per cent versus the euro to €1.089. The FTSE [...]
Coveney: Brexit negotiations “not in a good place” December 21, 2020 Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney has said Brexit negotiations are “not in a good place” as trade talks continue. Brexit talks between the EU and UK are ongoing this week. With the end of the transition period looming, the two sides have less than two weeks to strike a deal. Today Coveney said talks between [...]
How the 2020 global share slump and recovery ranks in history December 21, 2020 Stocks saw a record crash followed by a record rebound in 2020, creating some disparity between markets, as Duncan Lamont explains. The global stock market crashed at a record speed in early 2020 (Figure 1). On its way to a total decline of 34%, it clocked up a 30% loss in just 40 trading days. [...]
Macro matters December 21, 2020 Out of control Macro matters are very much back in focus as the European nations have begun to impose travel bans on the UK after it reported a more-infectious and “out of control” coronavirus variant. The BBC reported that Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium are all halting flights. The measures vary and [...]
New: ‘Health protocol’ to be put in place in hours to get freight moving, says French transport minister December 21, 2020 “A solid health protocol” will be put in place in the coming hours so flows of goods between the UK and France can resume, the French transport minister has said. There has been chaos at Dover this morning after the French government banned all travel from the UK for 48 hours, including freight drivers, prompting [...]
Sainsbury’s warns of gaps on shelves if Dover chaos is not sorted December 21, 2020 Sainsbury’s has warned that gaps will start to appear on shelves within days if transport ties are not quickly restored with mainland Europe. The transport of freight across the English Channel has been disrupted after France suspended travel links with Britain yesterday to try to curb a new faster spreading strain of Covid-19. The supermarket [...]
Lockdown books December 21, 2020 The aftermath of the global financial crash of 2008 uncovered some unpalatable facts. First, it showed how national governments were hellbent on bailing out the private banks with public money. At the same time the little man was totally ignored and left to his own devices; to sink or swim with the former being the [...]
Covid has led to classic auction boom says Car and Classic CEO Tom Wood December 21, 2020 We speak with Tom Wood, CEO of Car & Classic, about how the market has changed – and which cars have rocketed in value.
Naughty or nice: Which businesses pleased or peeved Santa in 2020? December 21, 2020 Which businesses stood out this year for going above and beyond for customers and staff, and which will be remembered less favourably for their pandemic policies? The last year has certainly been one that will not be forgotten. The last 12 months have been widely been touted “the worst ever” by people around the world, [...]
