Donald Trump and Barack Obama lash out at each other in rival election rallies October 22, 2020 Barack Obama and Donald Trump have mounted vicious attacks on each other last night at opposing rallies as polling day draws closer. Obama, who was speaking at a Joe Biden drive-in rally in Philadelphia, called Trump a “crazy uncle”, a peddler of conspiracy theories and someone who is eroding democracy in the US. The President, [...]
Payouts from government’s Covid-19 lending programmes hit £62bn October 22, 2020 The total value of loans paid out under the government’s coronavirus business lending schemes hit almost £62bn last week, new data showed. UK banks had lent a total of £61.9bn to businesses struggling with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as of 18 October, up from £57.3bn the previous month, according to figures from the [...]
Shaftesbury taps investors for £300m as pandemic batters West End October 22, 2020 West End landlord Shaftesbury will tap investors for £300m amid a sharp downturn in central London footfall during the coronavirus pandemic. The property firm announced today that it intends to raise around £297m through a discounted offer of new shares, with the potential to raise £307m dependent on investor appetite. Shaftesbury, which owns 16 acres [...]
JP Morgan strategists: Markets desperate for more stimulus at US election October 22, 2020 The markets want a decisive outcome from the 3 November US presidential election that will lead to big near-term fiscal stimulus, which the country’s economy “really needs”, strategists at JP Morgan Asset Management have said. Karen Ward, the London-based firm’s chief market strategist for Europe, said investors were now seeing the election in a “completely [...]
Hopelessness on the home front: The nation needs something to look forward to October 22, 2020 As the pandemic continues to roll through our communities, riding undulating waves of infection “R”, infectious hope does not seem to have followed the same trajectory. In the midst of lockdown, many talked about hope as a protective shield that would see us through to the end of this crazy interlude. My, how we would [...]
FCA says 12 million people in UK will struggle to pay bills October 22, 2020 Some 12 million people in Britain are likely to struggle with bills or loan repayments amid the continued economic disruption triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said. A survey by the watchdog found that 12 million people in the UK had low financial resilience, and that two million of those people [...]
Embracing ambiguity: Why empathy and patience count more than false hopes of returning to normal October 22, 2020 When the pandemic first struck, the prospect of returning to the office by September was a light at the end of a tunnel of uncertainty. Rising Covid-19 case numbers now mean many of us face a long winter of remote working. In fact, it’s likely that the next few years may be defined by periods [...]
AJ Bell assets reach £56.5bn as new customers flock to platform October 22, 2020 AJ Bell’s (AJB) total assets under management rose to over £56bn as customers flocked to its broer platform amid the continued market volatility. In a trading update, the investment platform said total AUM had increased eight per cent to £56.6bn, up from £54.3bn at the end of June and £52.3bn in September 2019. The rise [...]
Travis Perkins sales recover amid post-lockdown DIY boom October 22, 2020 Travis Perkins (LON:TPK) sales were boosted by a DIY boom after consumers spent more time at home during lockdown. The company announced this morning that like-for-like sales jumped 3.9 per cent in the third quarter, driven by an increase in home improvement projects. However Travis Perkins, which owns the Toolstation and Wickes brands, said there [...]
