Business heavyweights sign on to Covid-19 business pact April 2, 2020 Some of the UK’s largest companies, including BP and RBS, have signed up to a pledge to provide extra support their employees and customers through the coronavirus. Former cabinet secretary Justine Greening created the initiative, called the C-19 Business Pledge, and involves companies promising to offer things like financial security advice and mental health help [...]
Amazon wins trademark battle against Davidoff perfume maker April 2, 2020 Amazon has won a legal battle against the cosmetics firm behind Davidoff after the ecommerce giant listed unlicensed bottles of the perfume on its platform. The German arm of Coty, which owns the Davidoff brand, complained that Amazon had infringed its trademark by stocking the perfume from third-party sellers. Coty initially brought the case before [...]
FTSE 100 bounces back as Trump declares end to oil price war April 2, 2020 The FTSE 100 looked set to end the day on a high as US President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia and Russia had ended their oil price war. Energy stocks jumped to propel the London index back into the green after a tumultous day for global stocks. Staggering data showed 6.6m US jobless claims occurred [...]
Oil prices soar as Donald Trump reveals Saudi-Russia deal April 2, 2020 Oil prices soared this afternoon as US president Donald Trump said that Saudi Arabia and Russia had agreed a deal to end their price war and curb production. Brent Crude shot up nearly 22 per cent within half an hour of the president’s revelation, which was made over Twitter. The benchmark is now trading at [...]
Intu warns tenants over unpaid rent amid coronavirus pandemic April 2, 2020 Embattled retail landlord Intu has threatened to issue statutory demands to tenants that have refused to pay rent during the coronavirus crisis. The shopping centre owner, which revealed last week that it had collected just 29 per cent of the quarterly rent due, said it had “neither the desire or financial capacity” to waive rents [...]
US stocks rebound after Donald Trump announces oil deal April 2, 2020 US stocks have rebounded after President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to cut oil production, boosting prices and helping energy companies in the middle of the coronavirus slowdown. The rise on Wall Street came despite US jobless claims surging. The number of Americans claiming unemployment benefits for the first time hit [...]
Coronavirus: Premier League clubs should face ‘windfall tax’ April 2, 2020 Premier League clubs that furlough non-playing staff during the Covid-19 crisis should be slapped with a windfall tax, according to the chair of Westminster’s sports select committee. Tottenham, Newcastle and Norwich City have taken steps to furlough non-playing staff so they can access the government’s wage subsidy scheme, while still paying players their full contracts. [...]
Coronavirus: Brits approve of government for first time in almost a decade April 2, 2020 The British public approves of the government for the first time in almost a decade, according to the latest research. A survey found that amid the coronavirus crisis 52 per cent of Brits said they approve of Boris Johnson’s government’s record, compared to 26 per cent who disapprove. Net approval is now 26 per cent, [...]
Bank of England injects £1.9bn into UK companies via coronavirus scheme April 2, 2020 The Bank of England has injected £1.9bn into UK companies since 23 March via its short-term lending programme, figures have shown, as it tries to shore up the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak. The lending comes via the Bank’s covid corporate finance facility (CCFF), through which it buys companies’ short-term debt, known as commercial paper. [...]
Morrisons hikes staff bonus amid coronavirus crisis April 2, 2020 Morrisons has pledged to reward frontline employees working throughout the coronavirus crisis by increasing annual bonuses three-fold. The supermarket announced today that frontline staff will receive a six per cent bonus on their earnings for the next 12 months, rather than just the next eight to 12 weeks. Morrisons said the changes mean a full-time [...]