Social media firms to crack down on Covid-19 vaccine disinformation November 9, 2020 Major social media platforms have agreed a package of measures with the government in an effort to limit the spread of disinformation about any Covid-19 vaccine. Following a meeting with health secretary Matt Hancock and digital secretary Oliver Dowden, Facebook, Twitter and Google endorsed the principle that no company should profit from false or misleading [...]
Keir Starmer backs call to end 10pm pub and restaurant curfew November 9, 2020 Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has reportedly backed calls to end the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants when the hospitality industry reopens following the ongoing nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The curfew, which forced hospitality businesses to close by 10pm, was criticised for funnelling punters into the streets and onto public transport all at once, making [...]
Taylor Wimpey shares surge as housebuilder hikes profit forecast November 9, 2020 Shares in housebuilder Taylor Wimpey soared this morning after the property developer said it expects to beat profit forecasts in 2021. The FTSE 100 firm said that a strong recovery of the housing market means it will beat analysts’ top operating profit forecast of £626m. Profit will be “materially above” previous expectations as demand for [...]
Love at first sight? Kylie takes stake in UK music streamer Roxi November 9, 2020 Kylie Minogue has taken a stake in Roxi as the music streaming service plots an initial public offering in London. The Australian pop legend joins Robbie Williams, Alesha Dixon and Sheryl Crow as a major shareholder in the company, and will front its new TV advertising campaign. Roxi, which offers a fully-licensed music catalogue through [...]
Funeral firm Dignity posts rise in revenue amid Covid-19 crisis November 9, 2020 Funeral provider Dignity has posted higher revenue in the first nine months of the year following a sharp spike in deaths caused by the outbreak of coronavirus. The London-listed firm booked underlying revenue of £234.5m to 25 September, up four per cent on the same period last year. The figures reflected a higher number of [...]
Countrywide in takeover talks with rival estate agent Connells November 9, 2020 Countrywide is in talks with rival estate agency Connells over a potential takeover that would value the company at roughly £82m. The firm today said it had received an initial offer of 250p per share from Connells, well above its closing price of 145p last week. Countrywide said the offer was at an early stage [...]
Softbank’s Vision Fund posts record profit as startup valuations recover November 9, 2020 Softbank’s Vision Fund division posted a record ¥784.4bn (£5.7bn) profit for the third quarter after a recovery in startup valuations helped the unit rebound from a ¥612bn loss the previous year. The Japanese tech investment giant, which has stopped reporting operating profit figures, reported a net quarterly income for the entire group of ¥627.5bn. This [...]
S4 Capital revenue rises after bumper BMW account win November 9, 2020 S4 Capital has posted a double-digit rise in revenue and profit for the third quarter after it secured a lucrative new account from BMW and Mini. Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising firm booked revenue of £86.4m in the three months to the end of September, up 13 per cent on the same period last year. Gross [...]
Weekly outlook, 9-13 November: Investors shift their focus back to the UK economy November 9, 2020 Investors were kept busy with the drama across the Atlantic last week, but they’ll soon want to focus back on the UK in what will be a busy week of results and economic updates. After a nail-biting election, markets will likely be considering the implication of a Biden presidency. But with GDP and unemployment figures [...]
