Pharma giant GSK takes $250m stake in firm to develop coronavirus vaccine April 7, 2020 Pharmaceuticals giant Glaxosmithkline (GSK) has taken a $250m (£202.7m) stake in an American biotech company in a collaborative effort to make a vaccine for Covid-19. Vir Biotechnology, of which GSK now owns a 6 per cent stake, specialises in the treatment of severe infectious diseases, and is looking to develop an antibody treatment for the [...]
UK house prices face unpredictable blow from coronavirus after March rise April 7, 2020 UK house prices jumped in March, before the impact of the coronavirus lockdown was felt. House prices were up three per cent year on year. However, on a monthly basis, UK house prices were flat. The average UK house price was £240,384 last month, according to the latest Halifax research. However, the outbreak of coronavirus [...]
Private Equity: The Weight of the COVID-19 Crown April 7, 2020 Private equity (PE) often claims the financial crown of outperformance. But I am referring to that other, now infamous, Latin word for crown — corona — the shape of which lends its name to the current coronavirus pandemic. So how will it affect PE? Introduction PE investing is about absolute return, not outperformance, in my [...]
Coronavirus: How one FTSE 250 firm is keeping staff on board April 7, 2020 The destruction caused by the Covid-19 outbreak is difficult to comprehend, robbing people of their lives and livelihoods without mercy. Our NHS, charities, large businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs have all been hit hard, with the elderly and vulnerable hit the hardest. I’ve been in business for 40 years now. Together we’ve survived the tornado of [...]
Wirex achieves profitability by maintaining 3 million registered customers in 130 countries April 7, 2020 As the sun shines down on the deserted great City of London and the presses stay silent during this unprecedented lockdown with the NHS diligently fighting COVID-19, the crypto markets remain open demonstrating that the digital economy will play a vital role going forward. It strikes me that if we had had a Central Bank [...]
Coronavirus: Luxury brands braced for a bumpy ride April 7, 2020 It’s hard to erase the memory of red-and-white sale signs in the world’s most prestigious stores on Madison Avenue, New York, at the end of 2008. Stores that rarely offered discounts in their flagships slashed prices to move stock to very few shoppers. The luxury sector is not quite witnessing the same carnage as the [...]
Job Registry on the Blockchain April 7, 2020 Jobs. One of the most important things for both people and companies in the coming months will be the ability to match people with jobs. There will be hundreds of thousands of people who will be suddenly without a job. And there will be thousands of companies who survive the current crisis and come out [...]
How companies can navigate the Wild West of today’s blockchain ecosystems April 7, 2020 Piers Ridyard, CEO of Radix DLT, gives an overview to James Bowater, City AM’s Crypto Insider on the benefits independent testing of Distributed Ledger Technology platforms can bring to the industry and why businesses should take note. The rise of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) startups and cryptocurrencies in the last decade has sparked its fair [...]
Coronavirus: WH Smith raises £165.9m through share placing April 7, 2020 WH Smith has raised around £165.9m through a share placing to shore up its balance sheet amid the coronavirus crisis. The retailer was forced to tap investors for a cash injection after the outbreak forced it to close its travel business and the majority of high street stores. WH Smith can now access a £120m [...]
