Editorial: London has deserved more from an insipid Mayoral contest May 5, 2021 It is fair to say the year-long delay to the London Mayoral election has not increased the appetite for it. Nor have the last few months been a vintage political campaign of sharp differences, eye-catching promises and grand visions for the future. That’s a shame. London is a global city and will reinvent itself post-pandemic. [...]
Hiscox sets aside $47m for freak Texas snowstorm May 5, 2021 Hiscox has reserved $47m for payouts related to storm Uri, a devastating winter storm that raged through the Southern United States in February, with much of the damage concentrated in Texas. Payouts for the insurance industry as a whole stand at around $15bn, according to Hiscox, of which it owes $47m. The deep freeze in [...]
Markets stumble but Doge continues climb ahead of Musk’s SNL appearance May 5, 2021 Bitcoin and Ethereum stumble, Doge continues climb ahead of Elon Musk’s appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Travel finance start-up raises £10m to build up US operations May 5, 2021 A new fintech firm offering users the chance to split the cost of travel over 12 months has raised another £10m in funding, it was announced today. Start-up Fly Now Pay Later has now raised a total of £45m in funding following the close of its latest round, co-led by asset management firms Revenio Capital and [...]
Mayoral Election: Sadiq Khan primed for a second term with odds 1/50 May 5, 2021 Looking at the odds, Ladbrokes has found that Sadiq Khan appears to be the bookies next Mayor of London, once again. The Labour candidate looks primed for a second term in City Hall with odds at an eyewatering 1/50, as his closest rival Shaun Bailey staggered behind at 25/1. No amount of money looks enough [...]
Janet Yellen denies predicting rate hikes after comments roil Wall Street May 5, 2021 US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has downplayed comments that rate hikes may be needed to stop the economy overheating as Joe Biden’s spending plans boost growth. Yellen yesterday said that she sees no inflation problem brewing, after her previous comments deepened a sell-off in tech stocks and pushed longer-dated Treasury yields higher. What has Yellen [...]
Debenhams announces final store closures after 240 years on the UK high street May 5, 2021 Debenhams has announced that its remaining shops will close for good next week, meaning the department store chain will disappear from the high street after more than 200 years in business. It announced its final 49 stores will be open to customers for the last time on either 12 or 15 May. The retailer previously [...]
Reopening of showrooms boosts new car sales in April May 5, 2021 The reopening of England’s car showrooms boosted sales of new vehicles in April, prompting the car industry to hail the “light at the end of the tunnel” after lockdown. In total, 141,583 new vehicles were registered last month, a thirty-fold jump on the same month a year ago, when the initial coronavirus lockdown all but [...]
India’s latest wave worsens, accounting for nearly half of global Covid cases May 5, 2021 India accounted for one in four global Covid-19 deaths last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said today, as the UK pledged to send 1,000 ventilators in aid on Sunday. The WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report that India accounted for 46 per cent of global cases and 25 per cent of global deaths [...]
‘Freedom day’: Pub bosses wipe down the bar for a 21 June return May 5, 2021 The UK’s pub bosses are wiping the bar down for a June return, coined “freedom day”, urging prime minister Boris Johnson to stick to his roadmap for the easing of restrictions. JD Wetherspoon, Greene King, Slug & Lettuce owner Stonegate and Young’s have all expressed their intentions for a 21 June return of bar service, [...]
