British music exports to hit £1bn by 2030 amid song rights boom February 18, 2021 The value of British music exports could double to £1bn by 2030 if the UK cashes in on the surging value of music rights and growth in new markets after Brexit, according to a new report. The rise of streaming services such as Spotify has fuelled a boom in music assets, with global revenues from [...]
Barclays to resume dividend as Covid loan provision hits £4.8bn February 18, 2021 Barclays today said it will resume its annual dividend as the banking giant’s profit suffered a less severe hit from the pandemic than expected. The bank announced a dividend of 1p per share, as well as a £700m share buyback, after regulators banned payouts last year following the outbreak of Covid-19. It came as Barclays [...]
Prince Philip in ‘good spirits’ after second night in hospital February 18, 2021 The Duke of Edinburgh has spent a second night in hospital in central London after he was admitted on Tuesday evening. Prince Philip, 99, was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital on Tuesday evening as a precautionary measure, due to feeling unwell. His stay is not related to coronavirus, and a palace source said the [...]
Australian prime minister blasts ‘arrogant’ Facebook over news ban February 18, 2021 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has hit back at Facebook over its decision to block news in the country, saying the company’s actions were “as arrogant as they were disappointing”. The social media site last night cut off access to news pages and links in Australia in retaliation to draft new laws that would force [...]
Property giant Grainger appoints new finance chief February 18, 2021 The UK’s largest listed residential landlord has announced that Robert Hudson will be appointed as its new chief financial officer. Hudson currently heads finance and operations at St. Modwen Properties, where he became interim CEO in April last year. He has more than 26 years of experience in the industry, having worked as group financial [...]
UK nightlife ‘faces extinction’ without government support February 18, 2021 The UK’s nightlife scene is at risk of extinction without urgent financial support, the government has been warned. A group of 40 cross-party MPs today urged the prime minister and chancellor Rishi Sunak to bring forward a sector-specific grant package and lay out a detailed roadmap for reopening venues to avoid “irreversible losses” for businesses. [...]
Recruitment firm Hays to pay out £150m in special dividends February 18, 2021 Hays plc said on Thursday it had identified £150m of surplus capital that it plans to return to shareholders as special dividends. The move was encouraged by hiring activity rebounding to pre-Christmas levels by early February. Alistair Cox, CEO of Hays, said: “With recovery in fees and our profits accelerating in Q2, this provides us [...]
Moneysupermarket profit drops as demand for travel insurance and credit products falls February 18, 2021 Moneysupermarket, the financial services price-comparison platform, suffered a fall in profit and revenue last year as lockdown restrictions caused a drop in demand for insurance and credit products. Moneysupermarket, which also owns the advice website Moneysavingexpert, said profit after tax fell 27 per cent from £94.9m in 2019 to £69.3m last year. Group revenue was [...]
Coronavirus cases fall across England ahead of lockdown easing announcement February 18, 2021 Coronavirus cases have declined strongly across England since January, according to the latest study, suggesting that the current lockdown measures have worked to drive infection rates down. The study, known as REACT-1 and led by researchers at Imperial College London, found that national prevalence was two thirds lower between 4 and 13 February than it [...]
The biotech bosses welcoming Neil Woodford back, even if FCA and savers stay wary February 18, 2021 Neil Woodford is far from universally popular, and those fans he has are for the minute rare to put their head above the parapet. But Angharad Carrick found some, leading a number of Britain’s fastest-growing biotech firms. The return of Neil Woodford has, understandably, annoyed plenty. Chief amongst them are the savers he left out [...]
