In our lifetimes, cities will smell like the countryside December 21, 2020 Imagine taking a deep breath of urban air, and enjoying its crisp freshness as it fills your lungs. It’s not something city dwellers have experienced for centuries, if ever. Even before the industrial revolution, smoke and ordure hung heavy in the air. But we are now within grasp of the end of fossil fuels — [...]
The End of the Affair: The EU and UK have very different foreign policy destinies December 21, 2020 As the year draws to an end, City A.M. is looking back at the columns that illuminated the world around us. In The End of the Affair (1951), Graham Greene — to my mind the most underrated novelist of the twentieth century — perfectly encapsulates the chaotic feelings lying behind romantic breakup and emotional calamity. [...]
UK house prices end year on high with £62bn more deals than 2019 December 21, 2020 UK house prices are set to finish the year on a high note despite the worst downturn since the 1700s, with the residential property market racking up £62bn more in agreed sales in 2020 than last year, according to new data. Property website Zoopla said house prices rose at an annual rate of 3.9 per [...]
Business confidence surged on vaccines before new lockdowns December 21, 2020 The start of the UK’s coronavirus vaccination programme drove up business confidence to a nine-month high in December, a survey has shown. However, the Lloyds business barometer gave a picture of businesses’ attitudes before the government tightened the lockdown rules over Christmas, bringing new uncertainty to firms. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced London [...]
UK registers record rise in coronavirus cases as Tier 4 comes into force December 20, 2020 The number of coronavirus cases jumped by the most since the start of the pandemic on Sunday, with 35,928 new instances of Covid recorded as of 9am. A further 326 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, the government said. It was down from the 534 recorded on [...]
Peckhamplex, Rio Dalston and Prince Charles cinemas amongst DCMS grant recipients December 20, 2020 Some of London’s best-loved cinemas have received vital funds from the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund, it emerged today. Some £16m has been injected into more than 200 independent cinemas across the country. Peckhamplex, a multi-screen cinema famed for showing the latest blockbusters at knockdown £4.99 prices, received £564,423 from the Government scheme. Read more: What [...]
Giving 2020: The top global charity donors December 20, 2020 City A.M are delighted to publish our 2020 guide to philanthropy, Giving Magazine. Our annual guide to the biggest global private donors, unique to City A.M., is this year published in both print and digital form. Find Giving, with inspirational stories and all the news from the world of philanthropy, here.
Pound traders brace for tense week as Brexit talks continue December 20, 2020 Sterling traders are gearing themselves up for another nervy week amid fears that a collapse in Brexit talks could spark a sharp sell-off in the pound. Negotiations are ongoing, but noises from both camps suggest they remain stuck on fishing rights and competition policy. British health secretary Matt Hancock this morning told Sky News that [...]
Belgian Government joins Dutch in banning British arrivals December 20, 2020 Belgium has joined the Netherlands in banning British arrivals after the emergence of a new mutant strain of Covid-19 in the UK. PM Alexander De Croo announced the ban would be in place for at least 24 hours from midnight tonight, with most expecting the restrictions to last longer than that. It comes after the [...]
How activist investors will circle in on UK corporates in 2021 December 20, 2020 As companies plan for their post-pandemic future there are signs that they will have to contend with a new threat: activist investors. Activists have so far been biding their time. The usually vocal Edward Bramson paused his campaign against Barclays boss Jes Staley at the start of the year. Bramson has repeatedly called for the [...]
