Five charts that show the impact of Covid-19 on the tourism industry February 15, 2021 The travel and tourism industry has been one of the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic, with lockdowns and travel restrictions all but shutting business at times. Today the Office of National Statistics released its latest analysis of the impact of Covid-19 on the industry, and it doesn’t make for pretty reading. In 2018 the [...]
Treasury Committee chair: ‘One-off wealth tax’ could patch the Covid gap in public finances February 15, 2021 The MP who leads the Treasury Committee suggested this morning that Chancellor Rishi Sunak should introduce a one-off wealth tax to help revive the country’s public finances. As the pandemic is tearing its way through public finances, the chair of the UK Treasury Committee, Mel Stride, said a one-off wealth tax may be an effective [...]
UK and EU plan post-Brexit Northern Ireland hotline for officials February 15, 2021 The UK and the EU are planning to create an emergency hotline for officials to discuss post-Brexit problems in Northern Ireland. European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said the Brexit treaty’s Northern Ireland protocol needed “day-to-day care” and that Brussels and London both wanted to de-escalate tensions. Tensions have escalated in Northern Ireland since the [...]
The art of the apology: What KPMG’s Bill Michael got wrong February 15, 2021 Last week saw the defenestration of KPMG UK’s chairman, Bill Michael. Days after making some controversial remarks at a ‘town hall’ meeting of employees, the abrasive Australian, having initially stepped aside pending investigation, caught the scent of the prevailing wind and resigned. In some City circles, there has almost been a sense of relief, having [...]
Ranked: Monzo tops list of best UK banks as digital services thrive February 15, 2021 Digital fintechs Monzo and First Direct provide better service to customers than traditional banks, according to a recent survey. Ipsos MORI conducted a review of around 1,000 customers from each of the 19 biggest personal current account providers in the UK to rank the best and worst banks. The findings are designed to compare the [...]
Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley to join the wave of institutions entering the Crypto fray. It begs the question – when $50,000 for Bitcoin? February 15, 2021 Crypto at a Glance It was an eventful weekend in the markets, though one characterised primarily by near misses. Bitcoin came within a nose hair of $50,000, Ethereum still hasn’t quite made it over the $2,000 line, and Cardano is yet to hit that dollar mark. The total market cap of all crypto markets did [...]
UK house prices record surprise jump despite looming stamp duty deadline February 15, 2021 UK house prices recorded a surprise jump this month as buyers were undeterred by the looming stamp duty holiday deadline. After three consecutive monthly falls the average price of property coming to market increased 0.5 per cent – or £1,511 – this month. The number of new buyers has continued to grow despite the fact [...]
LVMH founder and former UniCredit boss launch European-focused SPAC February 15, 2021 Former UniCredit chief Jean Pierre Mustier and LVMH founder Bernard Arnault are the latest to join the SPAC boom, creating a new vehicle to invest in European financial firms. Blank-cheque vehicles have grown in popularity in the past year as IPO activity fell off a cliff at the start of the pandemic. They are created [...]
Greencoat enters Nordic market with €60m wind farm purchase February 15, 2021 Renewables investment fund Greencoat has today bought a Finnish wind farm for €60m (£52m). The purchase of the Kokkoneva wind farm from Abo wind marks the AIM-listed firm’s entrance into the Nordic market. The 43 megawatt wind farm, which is currently under construction, is due to begin producing electricity in the second quarter of 2022. [...]
Why lockdown winners are not vaccine losers February 15, 2021 The past year has brought significant changes to all our lives and sped up the growth of a number of consumer and leisure trends. Online shopping is an obvious example and the same is true for some of the other “lockdown winners”: namely computer games and cook-at-home meal kits. Like online shopping, we think these [...]
