Rio Tinto chairman to step down over destruction of sacred site March 3, 2021 The chairman of Rio Tinto will step down as the mining giant has come under fire for destroying a sacred cave system in Australia. The global outcry over the destruction of the 46,000-year old Aboriginal site, known as Jukkan Gorge, has led the US government to rethink its plan for Rio Tinto and BHP to [...]
Bitcoin back above $51,000 and Ethereum/AWS tie-up could mean big innovation March 3, 2021 The Crypto AM Daily update sees Bitcoin back above $51,000 and could the Ethereum/AWS tie-up mean big innovation?
UK PMIs: Services activity stabilises after lockdown plunge March 3, 2021 UK services activity continued to contract last month, but bounced back from January’s dramatic tumble on optimism about a potential end to the pandemic. The IHS Markit/Cips purchasing managers (PMI) index for services registered 49.5 in February, with any score below the 50 mark indicating contraction. It came in just below analyst expectations of a score of [...]
Budget: The UK’s contactless payment limit lifted to £100 March 3, 2021 Rishi Sunak will today lift the limit on contactless payments to £100 in a bid to boost the UK’s ailing retail sector. The previous limit on contactless payments was £45, however the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) conducted recommended lifting the cap after a public consultation. “As we begin to open the UK economy and people [...]
Vimto owner Nichols suffers profit drop after ‘most challenging trading’ in 80 years March 3, 2021 Nichols, the owner of Vimto, said it will take a £5m hit following the most “challenging trading period” in the out of home drinks sector for 80 years. The company said group revenues fell to £118.7m due to restrictions on the out of home drinks sector, and gross profit dropped £20.4m, coming in at £49.6m. [...]
Toyota Supra 2.0 review: no replacement for displacement March 3, 2021 You can now buy a Toyota Supra with a downsized 2.0-litre engine. Does less power and less weight – plus a lower price – equal more fun?
Budget 2021: Furlough extension a life-saver but not enough, analysts say March 3, 2021 The extension of the furlough scheme will swoop in to save sectors and jobs across the UK, but analysts have urged the government to go further. Rishi Sunak will announce the move in today’s Budget, meaning the government will pay millions of people’s wages beyond the end of Covid restrictions. The chancellor said last night [...]
The investor’s dilemma: do sustainable funds need a digital detox? March 3, 2021 Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma makes for uncomfortable viewing for users of social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube or Twitter. i.e. pretty much all of us. And as a sustainability specialist who invests (at the time of writing) in Alphabet , the parent company of Google and YouTube, I find the issues covered extra [...]
Brian Mattingley leaves 888 to become Playtech chair March 3, 2021 Gambling software developer Playtech has concluded its near two year search for a chairman, appointing 888 chair Brian Mattingley to the role. Mattingley will become the long-term successor to Alan Jackson who announced he was stepping down from Playtech almost two years ago. He replaces Claire Milne who has served as interim chair since May [...]
Persimmon profit falls as spring site closures dent builder March 3, 2021 Housebuilder Persimmon said that its profit fell about a quarter in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The FTSE 100 firm reported profit of £783.8m over the last 12 months, down from £1.04bn in 2019. Despite the fall, shares in the firm rose 2.9 per cent after the open, as traders welcomed optimistic [...]
