Understanding what’s driving market reactions is vital May 20, 2020 Our lack of understanding of the coronavirus has added to the challenges confronting politicians and policy makers in recent months, and this in turn has fed the uncertainty impacting financial markets. There are six broad areas influencing markets: the virus itself; the economic picture; the corporate outlook; policy; second-round effects; and lessons from the past. [...]
Coronavirus crisis set to wipe $17bn off sports sponsorship market May 18, 2020 Global sports sponsorship revenue will fall by $17.2bn (£14.1bn) this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, new forecasts have revealed. Total spend is expected to reach just $28.9bn in 2020 — a 37 per cent fall year on year — as scores of live sporting events have been scrapped and businesses look to [...]
UK economy receives fresh warnings before Rishi Sunak addresses MPs May 18, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing to address MPs today following new dire predictions of the impact of coronavirus on the UK economy. Sunak is set to face questions over how the UK will pay for huge public borrowing currently propping up the economy. The Treasury boss extended his job retention scheme to October last week, [...]
Bitcoin: Five Factors; One Conclusion, Three Parts May 12, 2020 Bitcoin (BTC) has been labeled as an “uncorrelated asset” since BTC is not directly connected to global GDP, company, revenues, profits (P/E ratios), dividends, and instead, relies on the network effect. For those reasons, the million dollar question is… What are the factors that impact Bitcoin’s price the most and why? The answer to this [...]
The Long Read: Sir Martin Sorrell on advertising, coronavirus and the new media landscape May 7, 2020 Sir Martin Sorrell has bestrode the ad world for decades – and in the midst of a global pandemic that has hit the industry hard, he’s understandably got some thinking to do. Christopher Jackson spoke to the ad mogul, and his interview for finitoworld – the organisation’s online magazine – is republished here. Prior to [...]
BT scraps dividend as Covid-19 and full-fibre rollout hit profit May 7, 2020 BT today scrapped its dividend as the coronavirus crisis and full-fibre broadband costs weighed on profit. The telecoms giant said it had taken the “exceptionally difficult” decision to suspend the payout until 2022, when it will be reduced 50 per cent to 7.7p per share. It came as BT posted a two per cent dip [...]
Analysis: Can Disney Plus rescue the House of Mouse? May 6, 2020 Disney last night laid bare the extent of the damage from the coronavirus crisis, which has sent shockwaves through all parts of the entertainment giant’s business. Chairman Bob Iger warned of “unprecedented challenges” as the company reported a $1.4bn (£1.3bn) hit to first-quarter operating income. With lockdown shutting down its theme parks, cruises and its [...]
ITV advertising revenue collapses in April amid Covid-19 crisis May 6, 2020 ITV has warned of a slump in advertising revenue for April as the coronavirus crisis ravages the broadcaster’s business model. ITV’s total revenue fell seven per cent in the first quarter to £694m as the pandemic began to take its toll. Revenue from ITV Studios dropped 11 per cent as the company was forced to [...]
Sadiq Khan: There will be no swift return to normality for TfL May 6, 2020 The Covid-19 health crisis has led to thousands of Londoners losing their lives with grief, anxiety and anguish touching too many lives. Many businesses and livelihoods have been adversely affected. It has also had a profound impact on public transport in London – and will continue to do so long into the future. Since the [...]
SMMT: UK coronavirus crisis wipes out April car sales May 5, 2020 New car sales have tanked 97 per cent amid the UK coronavirus crisis, according to new stats from an industry body today. That effectively means new UK car sales ground to a halt in April, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Just 4,321 cars were sold over the month – 70 per cent [...]