Post-Brexit City must be freed from European-style over regulation March 26, 2021 It has always been perceived wisdom that it was greedy bankers to blame for the financial collapse of 2008/9. The truth, however, is very different. Looking back, years of Establishment “too big to fail” support for uneconomic banking and financial institutions which began in the 1970s and culminated in the Greenspan intervention to save markets [...]
FTSE 10 and Wall Street slip despite encouraging economic data March 25, 2021 Mining stocks continued to drag down the FTSE 100 this afternoon while Wall Street opened lower despite an encouraging set of unemployment figures. London’s blue-chip index is down more than one per cent this afternoon with Antofogosta and Glencore all shedding more than four per cent. Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane said he [...]
Former PM David Cameron will be investigated over lobbying Sunak and Bank for Covid cash for Greensill March 25, 2021 David Cameron will be investigated over lobbying Sunak and Bank for Covid cash for Greensill
Hiring for lawyers at highest since pre-pandemic March 25, 2021 Recruitment for lawyers is at its highest level since before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, new labour market data for England and Wales has found. Professional legal recruitment took a big hit during the UK’s first national lockdown, resulting in hiring levels in Q2 2020 falling by 74.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Year-on-year vacancies across [...]
Exclusive: Small business owners on what is happening in the real economy March 24, 2021 The City was hit with some sobering figures earlier this month, as official data showed UK GDP shrank by a staggering 9.9 per cent in 2020, the largest drop on record. The figures were less bad than expected, which led PwC to conclude that British businesses are becoming more adaptable to lockdowns from an economic [...]
Concerns over prolonged restrictions as looming third Covid wave overshadows upbeat PMI data March 24, 2021 Mounting concerns about a third wave of Covid-19 cases across the UK and Europe are adding to expectations that economies may reopen later than initially predicted. The shift in market sentiment is weighing on stocks as they are extending losses with covid concerns even overshadowing today’s upbeat PMI data. “Fears over the impact of tighter [...]
Government launches search for new UKGI chair March 23, 2021 The Treasury has launched a search to replace the outgoing chair of UK Government Investments (UKGI), the Whitehall agency responsible for taxpayer investments. Headhunting firm Odgers Berndtson has kicked off a search to find Robert Swannell’s successor, Sky News reported, with the current UKGI head set to step down after seven years at the helm. [...]
Wall Street opens in the red ahead of Fed chair testimony March 23, 2021 Wall Street ticked into the red this morning as energy and travel stocks slipped, while investors awaited remarks from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on the health of the US economy. Powell will join US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen to provide testimony to US politicians in Congress later today. He is expected to say that the [...]
David Cameron lobbied Bank of England to help failed Greensill Capital March 23, 2021 David Cameron lobbied the Bank of England to help bail out failed finance firm Greensill Capital where he worked as an adviser, it has been revealed. The central bank said the former Prime Minister contacted it on several occasions to try and relax the rules on the emergency Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) scheme, which [...]
Clean air and recycling dominate London’s top environmental awards March 22, 2021 Firms tackling air pollution and championing recycling have been recognised at the Clean City Awards, the capital’s environmental ‘Oscars’. The financial services sector triumphed, with the Bank of England and Investec PLC praised for their work in tackling environmental issues. The scheme, now in its 26th year, rewards City businesses leading the way in improving their [...]