This is what you should be drinking on St Patrick’s Day March 16, 2021 Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day, and while Boris didn’t actually order the closure of pubs until 20 March 2020, for most of us this will be the second year in a row that we mark the event at home. This is no time to crowd into a bar with your mates, swilling Guinness while shouting [...]
UK says Russia is its ‘most acute threat’ as China tensions dialled down March 16, 2021 The UK government has today warned that Russia is its “most acute threat”, while also potentially extending an olive branch to China after escalating tensions over the past year. The government’s long-awaited integrated review of defence, foreign and development policy outlined a plan to pivot away from Europe and toward the Indo-Pacific in a landmark [...]
London is home to 60 unicorns after record levels of investment last year March 16, 2021 London is now home to 60 companies with unicorn status as the capital cements itself as Europe’s hub for tech investment. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, six London-based companies secured valuations of over $1bn in 2020: Octopus Energy, Arrival, Kazoo, infobip, Gousto and Hopin. And it’s been a strong start to 2021 with an [...]
Choppy waters for the crypto market as screens turn red March 16, 2021 It was another rough night for the Bitcoin price, falling to a low of $53,350 during the Asian session.
World must invest $131 trillion in clean energy to hit Paris targets March 16, 2021 The world must invest $131 trillion (£94 trillion) in clean energy resources over the next 30 years in order to hit the climate targets set out in 2015’s Paris accords. A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) found that investment must increase $33 trillion from current plans over the coming decades if [...]
Inovia Capital expands European presence with $450m fund March 16, 2021 Canadian venture capital firm Inovia Capital has closed its first transatlantic fund at $450m doubling down on its commitment to invest in European growth-stage firms. The firm opened in London two years ago and is led by investor Patrick Pichette, who also chairs Twitter’s Board of Directors. Early stage investment in European startups has hit [...]
Baroness Helena Morrissey quits St James’s Place to become AJ Bell chair March 16, 2021 Baroness Helena Morrissey has stood down from her role on St James’s Place’s board to become chair of investment platform AJ Bell. Baroness Morrissey will succeed Les Platts as AJ Bell’s chair at the company’s next annual meeting in January 2022. In the meantime, she join the board as chair designate in July 2021. Baroness [...]
Britain must define in its place in the world with rich trading relationships March 16, 2021 Today, the government will seek to define the UK’s place in the world as it publishes “Global Britain in a Competitive Age” reviewing foreign and defence policy. Back in 1962, the American statesman, Dean Acheson, famously observed that the UK had “lost an Empire but not yet found a role.” Now, after Britain has left the EU, the [...]
Wood Group axes final dividend as oil service firm swings to loss March 16, 2021 Engineers Wood Group this morning said it would not pay a final dividend after falling to a £228m loss in 2020. The FTSE 250 firm, which provides services for the oil industry, was battered by the collapse in oil prices last spring. As a result, it swung from a profit of £73m in 2019 to [...]
Will rising commodity prices prompt a shift for equity investors? March 16, 2021 A number of different factors are coming together to support rising commodity prices. Such price rises could have a profound effect on the type of companies equity investors want to own. After years of being out of favour, suddenly commodity-related stocks – which are often found at the value end of the spectrum – may [...]