FTSE 100 rises on $2 trillion US coronavirus stimulus March 25, 2020 The FTSE 100 has risen in afternoon trading on a volatile day for global stock markets following the signing of a $2 trillion (£1.7 trillion) US coronavirus stimulus package. London’s blue-chip index was two per cent higher at 5,557 by 4pm after swinging in and out of negative territory earlier in the session. European stocks [...]
Fitch offers UK firms free ratings to access Covid-19 funds March 25, 2020 Ratings agency Fitch is offering unrated UK firms free ratings so they can become eligible for help from the Bank of England (BoE). The agency is offering a range of products, some free of charge, to help access a BoE facility to support businesses throughout the coronavirus outbreak. “In the current unprecedented and volatile situation, [...]
BBC suspends job cuts as it doubles down on pandemic coverage March 25, 2020 The BBC has halted plans to slash 450 jobs as it faces growing demand for its coverage during the coronavirus crisis. The broadcaster said in January it would cut the roles from its news operations as part of a plan to save £80m by 2022. The cuts are set to impact Newsnight, which will produce [...]
Coronavirus: Bring back retired Tube drivers, says Tory mayoral candidate March 25, 2020 Almost 150 recently retired Tube drivers should be brought back to reduce rush hour overcrowding during the coronavirus crisis, according to Tory mayoral hopeful Shaun Bailey. Bailey, a London Assembly member, said 139 drivers could be brought back to increase the number of Tube services, similar to what the NHS has done with retired doctors [...]
Coronavirus: London City Airport suspends all flights March 25, 2020 London City Airport has suspended all flights in and out of the airport for the foreseeable future. The airport will stop all commercial and private flights from this evening due to the fallout from the coronavirus. The airport only had a handful of flights today, with numbers sharply decreasing due to the travel restrictions imposed [...]
Coronavirus: Barratt Developments scraps dividend March 25, 2020 Housebuilder Barratt Developments has scrapped its £100m payout to shareholders over the business uncertainty caused by coronavirus. Barratt, which has closed all of its sites, said it expects the coronavirus outbreak to have a “significant impact” on construction output and reservations and has cancelled all previous financial guidance. The company said that due to the [...]
US stocks choppy as Wall Street weighs huge coronavirus stimulus March 25, 2020 US stocks have had a mixed start to trading a day after the biggest rally in a decade as investors mull over a $2 trillion stimulus package agreed by Congress yesterday. Wall Street’s Dow Jones was 1.3 per cent higher an hour into trading, while the S&P 500 was up 0.1 per cent. The Nasdaq [...]
UK coronavirus home testing kits to be made available ‘within days’ March 25, 2020 Coronavirus home testing kits will be made available in the UK within a matter of days, rather than weeks or months, according to health officials. Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service, told the science and technology committee that 3.5m tests had been bought and would be available “within days”. The coronavirus kits [...]
Storage space issues could force oil prices down to $10 March 25, 2020 Oil prices could hit $10 per barrel as storage facilities across the world run out of space amid a coronavirus-inspired price war, it is reported. Worldwide oil storage has reached three quarters of capacity, it was reported today, after Saudi Arabia flooded the market with cheap oil to hurt its rival, Russia. Canada, a key [...]
With every crisis comes an opportunity, so what should a post-coronavirus UK work towards? March 25, 2020 The world is in crisis. All over the world, governments and businesses – and most importantly people – are slowly adjusting to a world that seemed implausible only a few weeks ago. Yet here we are. And if there is any certainty now, it is that we are unlikely to emerge from this to return [...]
