Coronavirus will ‘accelerate the digital revolution’, says ad mogul Martin Sorrell March 19, 2020 The outbreak of coronavirus will “accelerate the digital revolution” as businesses and consumers become increasingly reliant on technology, ad boss Sir Martin Sorrell has said. Sorrell, who runs ad fim S4 Capital, today said the “bottom line” of the crisis was that digital transformation would move at a much greater pace. “Businesses that were probably [...]
Transferwise partners with Alipay as it targets expansion into China March 17, 2020 Transferwise has teamed up with Chinese payment platform Alipay to offer its users money transfers to China, as the London-based payments company moves to expand into the lucrative market. Under the partnership, Transferwise’s users will be able to send Chinese yuan from 17 currencies to users of Alipay, a subsidiary of e-commerce giant Alibaba. Alipay [...]
FTSE 100 plunges despite Fed’s coronavirus ‘bazooka’ March 16, 2020 The FTSE 100 has plunged despite the US Federal Reserve slashing interest rates to near zero in an emergency move to curb the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The blue-chip index was last down seven per cent as traders reckoned with the ongoing spread of coronavirus and shrugged off the Fed’s surprise intervention. Airlines and [...]
Chinese economy nosedives as virus outbreak hits factories March 16, 2020 China’s factory production slumped to its lowest level on record in the first two months of the year as the coronavirus outbreak wreaked havoc for the world’s second-largest economy. Analysts said the shock was worse than the financial crisis decade ago and reinforced fears that the epidemic may have cut China’s economic growth in half [...]
FTSE miners lead recovery as China’s infection rate slows March 13, 2020 FTSE miners led London’s blue-chip index higher today as traders welcomed a lower rate of new coronavirus infections in China. Evraz, BHP, Anglo American, Glencore and Petra Diamonds all posted double-digit gains as the FTSE 100 surged over eight per cent higher following yesterday’s record sell-off. Online trader IG analyst Joshua Mahony linked the jump [...]
Coronavirus: US travel ban decimates airline stocks March 12, 2020 President Donald Trump’s travel ban on European citizens entering the US due to coronavirus fears sent airline stocks to new lows today after weeks of pressure on the sector. Recent FTSE 100 dropout Tui led the falls, posting a 10.4 per cent decline by the mid-morning, while British Airways owner IAG was not far behind, [...]
The government should keep calm, focus on facts, and commit to a Covid-19 strategy March 12, 2020 If ever there were a case of Man proposes but God disposes, the Covid-19 outbreak would fit the bill. A subject that was not even in the popular lexicon at the turn of the year has become our only topic du jour. If this continues for much longer, we may soon be dividing time into [...]
Achieving budgetary balance in a virus crisis March 12, 2020 A proportionate response needs to be adopted in the face of the spread of Covid-19. That was certainly the sense from yesterday’s Budget. A calm and measured chancellor presented this government’s first Budget during very unusual times. This outbreak has been devastating, initially in China, but now in Italy and Iran too, with many countries [...]
John Menzies suspends dividend over coronavirus March 10, 2020 John Menzies will temporarily suspend its dividend for this year after warning of an expected 2020 profit blow from coronavirus. The coronavirus outbreak prompted Menzies to issue a profit warning last month, saying it expects a hit of between £6m and £9m if the outbreak subsides towards the end of the second quarter. The aviation [...]
George Osborne’s former adviser Rupert Harrison: Extra spending in Budget is ‘welcome’ March 10, 2020 Rupert Harrison has spent the last few weeks monitoring obscure economic indicators – everything from pollution in Chinese cities to traffic in Milan – in an effort to guide his clients at investment giant Blackrock through the worst market crisis since 2008. He’s no stranger to financial turbulence, however, having been chained at the hip [...]