Janssen begins stage three Covid vaccine trial in UK November 16, 2020 Janssen has today begun stage three trials of its coronavirus vaccine, the third such company to do so in the UK. 6,000 volunteers across the country will take part in the tests of the vaccine, which has been developed in partnership with US giant Johnson & Johnson. The trials come after Pfizer last week announced [...]
Brexit talks ‘in real trouble’ if decisive week does not produce breakthrough November 16, 2020 Trade talks between Britain and the EU will be in “real trouble” if there is not a breakthrough in the next week, the Irish foreign minister has said. Speaking to Ireland’s Newstalk radio station Simon Coveney said: “If there is not a major breakthrough over th next week to 10 days then I think we [...]
Private Equity vs venture capital: Opposite investment mindsets November 16, 2020 Private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) firms have the same goal: maximising returns. Yet PE buyout and VC early-stage funds go about it in very different ways. Many prospective investors fail to appreciate that the two most popular alternative asset classes adopt often directly opposing methods to drive performance. VC’s deliberate diversification In asset [...]
Self-isolating Boris Johnson says he’s ‘fit as a butcher’s dog’ November 16, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted he is as “fit as a butcher’s dog” despite self-isolating after coming into contact with someone infected by coronavirus. Johnson said he would keep running the government via Zoom, while ministers said the PM was in good health. On Thursday, the Prime Minister spent around 35 minutes with Tory [...]
Arcadia taking ‘appropriate steps’ amid second lockdown but denies administration November 16, 2020 Sir Philip Green’s retail empire Arcadia has said it is taking “all appropriate steps” to mitigate the impact of a second lockdown and hit back at claims it is about to enter into administration. The second lockdown in England comes at a precarious time as retailers prepared for the Christmas period hoping to salvage the [...]
PNC to buy Spanish bank BBVA’s US arm for nearly $12bn November 16, 2020 PNC Financial Services confirmed this morning that it would buy the US arm of Spanish bank BBVA in one of the largest mergers in the sector in recent history. The deal will see the Pittsburgh-based company splash out $11.6bn (£8.8bn) for BBVA’s assets, creating a bank with around $560bn in assets. As a result of [...]
Asian stocks near record high after signing of huge RCEP trade deal November 16, 2020 Asian stock markets rose towards record highs after countries in the region signed the world’s biggest trade deal, which covers nearly a third of the globe’s population and economic output. The main Asian benchmark was on track to close at its highest ever level. China’s SSE Composite index rose one per cent while Japan’s Nikkei [...]
Boris Johnson to roll out string of new policies in bid to reset government November 16, 2020 Boris Johnson will roll out a series of policy announcements over the next two weeks in a bid to reset his government after the tumultuous exit of his top two advisers. Number 10 announced last night that Johnson – who is currently self-isolating after having had a meeting with an MP who tested positive – [...]
Grow your audience or double down? The classic mistake made by Brand Trump November 16, 2020 As marketers know well, big ambitious brands cannot continue to grow by simply targeting the same people with the same messages. There comes a point in every major brand’s life when new audiences are needed to grow a following. Somehow, the Trump campaign ignored this, and the President’s failure to understand the need to expand [...]
Restrictions confusion and lockdown fears stunt white collar job openings November 16, 2020 Regional tiered restrictions confusion and rumours of a national lockdown stalled white collar hiring in October, with contract vacancies dropping -1%, according to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). The latest data found that while month-on-month vacancy numbers saw little to no change, the year-on-year percentage drop slightly increased for October following several months [...]
