Coronavirus crisis wipes £59bn off FTSE 100 March 6, 2020 Coronavirus wiped £59bn off the FTSE 100 today to cap off another week of stock market turmoil. The blue-chip stock index sank by 3.6 per cent, or 242.88 points, to finish the week on 6,462.55 points – its lowest since July 2016. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 was down 2.98 per cent, or 576.62 points to [...]
What will Rishi Sunak’s Budget mean for personal taxes? March 6, 2020 With a commitment to leave rates for income tax, national insurance and VAT unchanged, the new Chancellor may be looking for other areas to raise tax in March’s Budget – possibly in capital gains tax and inheritance tax. In addition, the Conservative Party manifesto contained commitments to “review and reform” entrepreneurs’ relief (ER) as well [...]
Elbow bumps and the Wuhan shake: How coronavirus killed the handshake March 6, 2020 Coronavirus fears have prompted a variety of novel greetings as people around the world avoid shaking hands, chief among them the so-called Wuhan shake. In Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak, a new way of saying hello has gone viral. Nicknamed the Wuhan shake, the allegedly coronavirus-proof greeting involves participants [...]
Coronavirus: Societe Generale latest firm to send staff home March 6, 2020 Yet more banks are taking measures to protect against the spread of coronavirus, with Societe Generale the latest London bank to send people home today. A source told Reuters that more than 50 of its staff were working from home today as the French lender said it had put in place travel restrictions, rotation of [...]
DEBATE: Is International Women’s Day an outdated concept? March 6, 2020 Is International Women’s Day an outdated concept? Sarah Hawkins, client director at StormBrands, says YES. International Women’s Day (IWD) has a branding issue. The day lacks a clear purpose, story, and identity. What is it for? Who are the figureheads? What are their credentials? The official website totally lacks provocation and tone of voice. Follow [...]
Environmental taxes: Will the Chancellor break with history, raise fuel duty and go further? March 6, 2020 Looking to the manifesto, it would be hard to predict what the Budget would contain on environmental taxes. In common with the other main political parties, there were few direct commitments among the rhetoric. Beyond a statement on plastics packaging tax, we saw only a promise to “prioritise the environment in the next Budget, investing [...]
City watchdog outlines tougher climate change disclosures for top firms March 6, 2020 The UK’s top listed firms must disclose how their business is affected by climate change using globally-agreed guidance or explain why they cannot, under proposals outlined today by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Under the plans, firms with a premium listing would have to either make climate-related disclosures in line with the approach set out [...]
Budget 2020: Pilots call for air passenger duty tax suspension March 6, 2020 The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) has called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to suspend air passenger duty in next week’s budget to protect the struggling aviation industry and avoid another airline collapsing like Flybe. Global airlines have been severely damaged by the coronavirus outbreak, with international trade body IATA predicting a 24 per cent reduction [...]
US posts strong jobs data but analysts say coronavirus means report ‘outdated before it came out’ March 6, 2020 The US posted strong jobs data for February today but markets remained in the red on fears of the impact of coronavirus on the world economy. Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 273,000 in February, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 3.5 per cent, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said today. The [...]
Coronavirus live: Second Brit ‘dies from Covid-19’ as UK cases number 163 March 6, 2020 UK coronavirus cases have hit 163, the government confirmed today, as reports emerged of a second Brit who has died from Covid-19. London’s total number of cases has climbed to 29, up four from yesterday’s 25. England has 147 cases overall, with 13 in the north east and Yokshire, 21 in the north west. There [...]
