Easyjet on track for first ever full year loss October 8, 2020 Easyjet announced this morning it is in line for a pre-tax loss of up to £845m for the full year, the first time the budget carrier will have reported an annual loss. In a trading update, the carrier said passenger numbers for the full year had halved, falling to 48m as a result of the [...]
Coronavirus: Leading UK scientists urge government to adopt herd immunity approach October 7, 2020 A range of leading UK scientists have joined experts from around the world in calling for a herd immunity approach to the pandemic by forcing the vulnerable to shield while allowing others to return to normal life. Launched in the US, The Great Barrington Declaration urges governments across the globe to scrap lockdowns in favour [...]
This week’s legal roundup October 7, 2020 Charles Kerrigan, Partner at CMS Law writes today’s legal briefing which is a sports roundup up of progress towards institutional acceptance of digital assets. These stories are unrelated except that they show the range of important constituents working on these questions at the same time. Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, gave [...]
UK house prices jump again in September as market defies gravity October 7, 2020 UK house prices rose at the fastest pace in four years in September despite the raging coronavirus pandemic as people working from home sought more space, according to the Halifax house price index. Yet the lender said it is “unlikely” that the British housing market will “remain immune” to the historic economic slowdown. House prices [...]
Prepare for Libor’s demise, City regulator tells markets October 7, 2020 Financial markets need to prepare themselves for regulatory announcements about the Libor benchmark interest rate ceasing at the end of next year, the City watchdog said. “Market participants need to be ready for announcements later this year setting out what will happen at the end of 2021,” the FCA’s director of markets, Edwin Schooling Latter, [...]
Banking sector warns against irresponsible lending after PM’s low deposit mortgage pledge October 7, 2020 The banking sector has cautioned against irresponsible lending after the Prime Minister announced plans to help millions of potential buyers onto the housing ladder by allowing low deposit mortgages. Boris Johnson yesterday said he wants to turn “generation rent” into “generation buy” by allowing people to purchase homes with a five per cent deposit. The [...]
Be brave Mr Sunak… and keep spending October 7, 2020 Since Rishi Sunak stepped into the suddenly vacant 11 Downing Street back in February, he’s proved a fleet-footed chancellor, earning praise for the speed at which he launched the furlough programme, provided cash support to struggling companies, and stood behind the economy as the pandemic took hold. He quickly realised that extraordinary times required extraordinary [...]
Tesco sees profit drop despite surge in lockdown sales October 7, 2020 Tesco’s operating profit fell 15.6 per cent in the first six months of the year in new chief executive Ken Murphy’s debut set of results. Profit at the supermarket dropped from £1.23bn to £1.04bn, with a jump in sales due to the coronavirus pandemic weighed down by a hefty loss at Tesco Bank. On a [...]
Maduro government wins legal appeal over Venezuela gold held by Bank of England October 6, 2020 The Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling recognising Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim leader in a victory for president Nicolas Maduro. At the heart of the case is the ownership of £800m in gold that is currently held by the Bank of England (BoE). Earlier this year, state bank the Banco Central de Venezuela [...]
Chanel snaps up Bond Street boutique for £310m October 5, 2020 French luxury fashion brand Chanel has reportedly bought its boutique store on Bond Street for £310m in a vote of confidence for the central London commercial property market. Reports that the designer firm will pay around £70m above the £240m asking price for the property cements Bond Street’s status as a “safe haven”, despite plummeting [...]