BMW profit races back but second wave fears abide November 4, 2020 Car giant BMW’s profit came roaring back in the third quarter as growing Chinese demand for its cars helped the firm recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Profit at the German auto company rose 9.6 per cent to €2.5bn in the period, up from 2.2bn last year. BMW was boosted by a 31 per cent sales [...]
STV holds guidance as advertising recovery beats expectations November 4, 2020 Scottish broadcaster STV today said advertising had bounced back more quickly than expected following a coronavirus-induced slump, though it warned the short-term outlook remained uncertain. STV, which holds the channel 3 licence in Scotland, suffered a 20 per cent drop in advertising revenue in the first half of the year as the outbreak of coronavirus [...]
Shakespeare: Monzo’s tough year doesn’t improve with new card November 4, 2020 Monzo has had a tough 2020 so far. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenger bank has laid off employees, doubled its losses, and faced difficult questions about its viability as a “going concern”. October proved to be no exception. New data from YouGov BrandIndex shows that Monzo’s latest attempt to launch paid-for accounts adversely affected [...]
Shares in cyber firm ECSC spike as home working drives up demand November 4, 2020 Shares in ECSC jumped more than 11 per cent this morning as the cybersecurity firm said a shift to home working during the pandemic had boosted demand for its services. In a trading update for the four months since June, ECSC said revenue and profit had continued to rise as clients bolstered their cyber defences. [...]
Marcus Rashford and the new player power: it won’t be long until clubs and sponsors put a price on it November 4, 2020 Just when you think that 2020 can’t throw up any more surprises, Marcus Rashford, a 23-year-old footballer, becomes the government’s loudest source of opposition. At the time of writing there’s been no U-turn on extending the provision of free school meals when faced by Rashford’s campaign. But by generating support and sentiment through his 3.7m [...]
Ahold Delhaize launches €1bn share buyback as Covid-19 boosts sales November 4, 2020 Supermarket giant Ahold Dehlaize today said it will launch a €1bn (£896m) share buyback as it posted a rise in revenue for the third quarter. The retailer, which operates grocery chains across the US and Europe, said the buyback will begin at the beginning of 2021 and marked the strength in its business model. It [...]
US election day as it happened: In Pictures November 4, 2020 Pictures captured of people across the US at polling stations at the end of a bitter and unusual campaign. Almost 100m people already voted by mail-in and absentee ballot, which is 70 per cent of the total vote in 2016. Below we bring to you the best pictures on US election day from across the [...]
Four things to watch as the Bank of England sets interest rates November 4, 2020 The Bank of England’s group of interest rate-setters will announce their latest monetary policy decision tomorrow, albeit virtually. Since the last meeting in September, the government has announced a new month-long lockdown for England amid soaring coronavirus cases. Most analysts expect the Bank to launch more stimulus to support the economy during the winter. Here [...]
How ‘following the science’ has let our country down November 4, 2020 If I were to be diagnosed with a malignant tumour, I would expect my doctors to lay out for me the alternative treatment options, how each would affect my quality of life, its impact on survival or potential cure and, as far as is knowable, all the other potential costs and benefits. I would listen [...]
Lockdown 2.0: A creative destruction revolution, or the death knell of innovation? November 4, 2020 So Boris Johnson has failed to follow his own government’s guidelines on cost-benefit appraisal. Study after study by economists show that the costs of lockdown far exceed the benefits. The NHS — the “envy of the world” — has conspicuously failed to develop sufficient capacity to deal with a second wave, despite having had months [...]
