BoE deputy governor moves to quash inflation fears July 22, 2021 The deputy governor of monetary policy at the Bank of England moved to temper fears that the UK economy is facing a period of persistently higher inflation today. In a speech, Ben Broadbent said that he was “not convinced that the current inflation in retail goods prices should in and of itself mean higher inflation [...]
SMEs confident about recovery but frustrated by lack of financial backing July 22, 2021 Owners of small and medium-sized enterprises are feeling more optimistic than last month but are struggling to get financial backing, according to figures from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA UK) and the Corporate Finance Network (CFN), shared with City A.M. today. The survey shows that 89 per cent of SME owners are trading [...]
London shares left buzzing after PensionBee hits £2bn in managed assets July 22, 2021 Online pensions provider PensionBee has racked up £2bn worth of pensions under management, which has sent shares flying over six per cent. The app said its assets under management had surged 117 per cent to over £1.9bn in the six months to 30 June. The pensions surge, up from £915m worth of assets in the [...]
London’s younger workers lead charge back to the office July 22, 2021 Younger workers in London are more eager to get back to the office compared to their older counterparts, according to new figures published today. Research from Workspace shows 77 per cent of workers aged between 18-34 in the capital are looking forward to coming back to the office, compared to half of staff aged 35 [...]
Supermarket boss says there is no need to start panic buying July 22, 2021 The boss of Iceland has said that there is no need to begin panic buying, but that the “pingdemic” risks shutting stores up and down the country. Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland, told 5Live’s Breakfast show that photographs of empty shelves were “isolated incidents”. Over 500,000 people were alerted by the app in the [...]
Morrisons shareholders to vote on Fortress-led takeover bid on 16 August July 22, 2021 Shareholders in Morrisons will vote on a £6.3bn takeover bid from a trio of private investment groups led by SoftBank-owned Fortress on 16 August. In a document outlining Fortress Investment’s offer, Morrisons today said a court meeting and a general meeting of shareholders would be held on the August date. Fortress’ offer for the British [...]
Online harms laws pose threat to free speech, Lords committee warns July 22, 2021 The government’s plans to crack down on harmful online content pose a threat to freedom of speech and would be ineffective, peers have warned. In a report published today, the House of Lords communications and digital committee slammed plans to address “legal but harmful” material, saying the issue should instead be addressed through tougher law [...]
EY Parthenon brings on former government advisor Mats Persson as partner July 22, 2021 EY has announced the appointment of Mats Persson, a former chief of staff to Sajid Javid, as a partner in its strategy and transactions business. Persson had already been acting as an independent advisor over the last year, designing strategies for transport and energy companies, the auditing giant said in a statement published last week. [...]
China rejects WHO plan to further investigate Covid-19 origin July 22, 2021 A senior Chinese health official rejected the next stage of a World Health Organisation investigation into the origin of Covid-19, which plans to audit labs and markets in the city of Wuhan. Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of the National Health Commission, said in a press conference in Beijing that he was taken aback by a hypothesis [...]
Daily Mail owner posts revenue rise amid Rothermere takeover bid July 22, 2021 The owner of the Daily Mail has reported a sharp rise in revenue in its latest quarter as it gears up for a potential take-private bid by Lord Rothermere. Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) said its group revenue grew by a quarter in the three months to the end of June. This was driven [...]