Exclusive: Britain’s 10,000 law firms largely spared from pandemic onslaught February 12, 2021 Despite the pandemic, the number of law firms has remained steady, with 10,080 currently registered in the UK, according to new research. The number of firms is down only 2 per cent compared to last year, as 10,278 firms were registered in December 2019, according to accountancy and business advisory firm Hazlewoods. Though many firms’ [...]
Before the Bell: Firm focus on UK GDP numbers this morning February 12, 2021 It was another uneventful day in the markets yesterday as fresh news stories were thin on the ground. The same old headlines about vaccines being distributed and optimism with respect to President Biden getting his $1.9 trillion stimulus plan approved in the next few weeks continued to be the main focus of traders’ attention. Both [...]
UK GDP suffers largest contraction on record in 2020 February 12, 2021 UK gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 9.9 per cent last year, marking the largest annual fall on record. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed UK GDP grew one per cent in the fourth quarter of the year due to recovery in government consumption and business investment as Covid restrictions eased. That followed 16.1 [...]
EU financial services chief warns of long road ahead for UK-EU equivalence deal February 12, 2021 The EU’s financial services chief has warned the UK that “there cannot be equivalence and wide divergence” in financial regulation as the battle over the City’s future relationship with the bloc heats up. Mairead McGuinness also confirmed fears held by many in the City that the EU would demand to know the UK’s future regulatory [...]
Out with the old: Time to reform the legal profession for the benefit of all sides February 11, 2021 It may seem like an odd time to be thinking about reforming the way lawyers work, but if so much can change because of a pandemic, why shouldn’t the post-Covid era be a period of reform and progress? This year will be the first in which the UK’s ability to compete in the global professional [...]
UK unveils new £20m fund for British businesses facing Brexit disruption February 11, 2021 The UK has today announced a new £20m fund for British SMEs facing post-Brexit disruption. The grants will see SMEs that trade with the EU eligible for grants of up to £2,000 each to “pay for practical support including training and professional advice”. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove today told MPs that some issues facing [...]
Exclusive: Brexit a bigger headache for business leaders than Covid pandemic February 11, 2021 Brexit represents a bigger challenge to most UK businesses than the Covid-19 pandemic, as additional paperwork, unexpected costs and new regulatory requirements make life more difficult than temporary lockdowns. Business leaders have told City A.M. that Brexit is currently their number one headache, despite the government’s pledge that the UK-EU trade deal that was agreed [...]
London experiences massive drop in Euro swaps trading post-Brexit February 11, 2021 Trading in euro-denominated swaps has dropped by nearly 30 per cent in London since the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December, with trade primarily shifting to New York, Amsterdam and Paris. According to new data from financial research company IHS Markit, published earlier today, euro swaps trading in the City of London [...]
MasterCard plans to follow PayPal with crypto receipts for merchants, Cardano launching Native Tokens February 11, 2021 Crypto at a Glance The markets slowed yesterday, with Bitcoin and Ethereum both seeing small retraces after hitting new all-time highs earlier in the week. The rumour mill continues to grind though, with new reports quoting a ‘source familiar matter’ that MasterCard is planning to give merchants the option to receive payments in cryptocurrency later [...]
City A.M. TV: Daily Market Snapshot (video) February 11, 2021 After strong gains in early February, US and European equity markets have mostly drifted sideways this week. The key question now is: Are equities merely pausing for breath and consolidating their gains (before the uptrend resumes); OR – are they about to ‘top out’ and sell-off over coming trading days? In this brief clip we [...]