Recruitment giant Hays posts 29% drop in Q1 net fees October 15, 2020 Big business recruiter Hays said today it expects first half of the year to be modestly profitable as its temporary hiring remained stable overall, even as it posted a 29% drop in its first-quarter net fees due to the coronavirus crisis. The UK-based company, among the world’s biggest recruiters with big businesses in both temporary [...]
Unilever shareholders support London-base move October 13, 2020 Unilever’s shareholders have approved the multinational’s plan to end its 90-year-old dual-headed structure in favor of a single London-based entity. The proposal passed with the support of more than 99% of shares voted. The results were released during shareholder meetings streamed online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Investors in Dutch-listed Unilever NV approved the move with 99.4% [...]
IMF chief: Climate change poses ‘profound threat’ to global growth October 13, 2020 Climate change poses a serious threat to global growth, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday, urging the world’s top emitters to agree on a floor for carbon prices. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva told finance ministers meeting on climate change that countries should also ensure that green investments are included [...]
HSBC to set aside $1 trillion in green financing, targets net zero emissions by 2050 October 9, 2020 HSBC will target net zero carbon emissions across its entire customer base by 2050 at the latest, and provide between $750 billion and $1 trillion in financing to help clients make the transition, its Chief Executive Noel Quinn has said. In the strongest statement by Europe’s biggest bank on climate change to date, its CEO [...]
Bank of England’s Haskel keeps door open to negative rates October 5, 2020 Bank of England (BoE) rate-setter Jonathan Haskel sees some possible benefits from cutting interest rates below zero, though it was too soon to reach a firm conclusion on this. The BoE, which cut interest rates to a record-low 0.1% in March, is now looking at whether it is technically feasible to cut its main interest [...]
Johnson launches transport review to boost economy and strengthen UK ties October 3, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched a review aimed at improving transport links across the UK, including a possible bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, as part of a plan to boost the pandemic-hit economy and strengthen ties between its member nations. The study will consider air links within the country, road and rail links in [...]
Airbnb aims to raise roughly $3bn in IPO October 3, 2020 Home rental company Airbnb is aiming to raise around $3bn in its upcoming initial public offering (IPO), people familiar with the matter said on Friday, taking advantage of the unexpectedly sharp recovery in its business after the Covid-19 pandemic roiled the travel industry. Airbnb will be one of the largest and most anticipated US stock [...]
Coronavirus: UK economy slumped by a fifth in second quarter September 30, 2020 The UK economy suffered a record-breaking collapse in the second quarter, slumping 19.8 per cent as the coronavirus pandemic hammered demand and left swathes of the economy unable to operate. Gross domestic product shrank by 19.8 per cent in between April and June, the Office for National Statistics said, slightly less than the initial 20.4 [...]
Shut up man!: Donald Trump and Joe Biden lock horns in first US presidential debate September 30, 2020 Donald Trump and Joe Biden were in a bitter contest in the first US presidential debate. Did anybody come out a winner?
Card Factory says second half sales recovering, gives no outlook September 29, 2020 Britain’s Card Factory said today it has had an encouraging start to the second half of the fiscal year as its stores reopened, but could not provide a forecast for the rest of the year as it faced the impact of a new wave of coronavirus lockdowns. “In the short term, as well publicised, recovery in the retail [...]
