Millions of NatWest customers to see Visa debit card switch to Mastercard February 4, 2021 Millions of NatWest customers will see their debit cards switch as the British bank plans to start using Mastercard over Visa, despite Mastercard’s plans to hike EU fees. NatWest has become the latest bank to adopt Mastercard, which has prior agreements with Santander UK, HSBC’s First Direct and Monzo. The move will divert around 16m [...]
City A.M. TV: Daily market snapshot February 4, 2021 With a strong move higher in US equity markets this week, signs of near term ‘greediness’ have been building. Usually, when levels of greed and complacency become elevated, markets then become vulnerable to the downside. Conversely, when fear levels are high, it pays to turn bullish. In this brief clip, we show how to ‘lean [...]
MPs back bereavement campaign to ensure grieving families do not ‘slip through the net’ February 4, 2021 Dozens of MPs have called on the government to improve treatment for grieving families by refining the process of registering a loved one’s death. The plea came during a debate in the House of Commons on the campaign for a cross-industry bereavement standard, where ministers promised to consider the demands of supporters. More than 91,000 [...]
Unilever restores confidence as sales jump 3.5 per cent February 4, 2021 Consumer goods giant Unilever today reported underlying sales growth for the fourth quarter, buoyed by strong demand in emerging markets. Sales rose 3.5 per cent for the owner of Persil, Dove and Marmite, meeting analyst predictions. For the full year, sales grew by 1.9 per cent but turnover and underlying profit dropped 2.4 per cent [...]
All eyes are on the Bank of England today February 4, 2021 Calm has been restored to equity markets as the violent swings that were witnessed due to the Reddit-retail investor mania have waned. Volatility in Gamestop – the stock at the centre of the saga – has cool greatly and that has in turn brought the temperature down in the markets. “Trader’s attention drifted back to [...]
Rishi Sunak to chair meeting with G7 counterparts on Covid-19 recovery and digital tax reform February 3, 2021 Sunak to chair meeting with G7 counterparts on Covid-19 recovery and digital tax reform
Exclusive: City law firm chief warns Brexit may damage Square Mile’s ecosystem February 3, 2021 Since the turn of the year, London’s outward-looking legal community has rushed to adapt to the new post-Brexit arrangements. In a wide-ranging, two-part interview, City A.M. sits down with Natasha Harrison, the Chancery Lane-based managing partner of global law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, to discuss the changes that Britain’s departure from the EU has brought [...]
Asset managers call for urgent action on Libor transition February 3, 2021 Investment managers are calling on FTSE 350 companies to “step up” their efforts to transition away from Libor-linked bonds worth £108bn. “With the deadline now fast-approaching, there remains a significant number of outstanding Libor-linked bonds which have not yet transitioned to a new rate,” The Investment Association (IA) said in a letter to companies issuing [...]
Report calls on Government and FCA to ‘consider consequences’ for BoE boss Andrew Bailey over LCF collapse February 1, 2021 The Treasury and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) must consider what action to take against Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and two officials over their handling of LCF, the author of a report about the collapsed fund told MPs today.
UK mortgage approvals reach highest level since 2007 February 1, 2021 The number of mortgage approvals reached their highest level since 2007 last year as buyers took advantage of the stamp duty holiday. The housing market remained resilient in the face of volatility and essential closure of the market during the first lockdown. There were 818,500 mortgage approvals over 2020, up from 789,100 the previous year, [...]