Ethereum pumps – new all-time high incoming? January 19, 2021 Crypto at a Glance It’s been a relatively quiet week so far for Bitcoin, which seems happy to coast along between $35,000 and $37,000 for the time being. The really big-and-mega-exciting news today is Ethereum, which finally looks to be charging, head-down and horns out, towards that long-awaited new all-time high (set in the heady [...]
Hammerson receives less than half its rent as retailers grapple with Covid January 19, 2021 Hammerson received less than half of the rents due for the first quarter of 2021, as retailers struggled in the face of coronavirus restrictions across the UK and most of Europe. At a group level, 41 per cent of Q1 2021 rent due has been received by Hammerson, with the UK collecting 41 per cent, [...]
AO World revenue surges on demand for electrical goods over Christmas January 19, 2021 AO World reported significant revenue growth in the third quarter after strong demand for electrical goods in the run-up to Christmas. The online electrical retailer reported UK revenue growth of 67.2 per cent to £457.3m, while German sales jumped 77.4 per cent to €73.6m. The company, which sells washing machines, fridges, TVs and laptops, has [...]
Superdry woes continue as it flags going concern doubts January 19, 2021 Embattled retailer Superdry has flagged going concern doubts after lockdown took another hit to its revenue. Superdry’s underlying losses before tax widened to £10.6m from £2.3m in the same period the previous year. Superdry’s share price plunged more than 11 per cent to 213.40p this morning. It came as revenue plunged 23.4 per cent to [...]
British lorry drivers now need negative Covid test to enter Denmark and Netherlands January 19, 2021 Hauliers will now need to provide a negative coronavirus test before entering Denmark and the Netherlands, the government has announced. All drivers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) have been told they will be eligible for free Covid tests at specialist sites across the country. However, just four out of 35 of the sites will run [...]
Dido Harding defends £1,000-a-day consultants for Test and Trace January 18, 2021 NHS Test and Trace boss Dido Harding has defended spending upwards of £1,000-a-day on consultants for the beleaguered contact tracing programme. During a grilling from the Public Accounts Committee, Harding told MPs she felt it was “appropriate” to bring in external help in “extreme emergency circumstances using short-term contingent labour and consultants for some of [...]
Patient admitted to hospital ‘every 30 seconds’ as Covid hospitalisations hit record January 18, 2021 “Someone is admitted to hospital with coronavirus every 30 seconds,” the health secretary has said, as hospitalisations continue to hit fresh heights amid the rapid spread of new Covid mutations. There are currently 37,475 people in UK hospitals with coronavirus, with more than a tenth on ventilators. “That is the highest that it’s been throughout [...]
Matalan ‘very cautious’ over impact of latest lockdown as Christmas sales drop January 18, 2021 Budget fashion retailer Matalan warned that it is “very cautious” about the coming months due to the ongoing impact of coronavirus, as it announced a drop in sales over the crucial Christmas trading period. In the five weeks to 2 January, total UK revenue was £119.2m, down from £134.3m in the previous year, as the [...]
UK and the EU have much to gain from closer collaboration on financial services January 18, 2021 Now that the UK and European Union have started a new chapter, the next few months will be critical when it comes to writing the page on future collaboration in financial and professional services. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement finally brokered by UK and EU negotiators before Christmas provided businesses and households both at home and [...]
FTSE 100 drops to October lows on recession fears January 15, 2021 The FTSE 100 sunk into the red today, capping off its worst weekly performance since the end of October amid fresh Covid woes. The blue-chip index closed down 0.97 per cent at 6,735 points after new data showed UK GDP fell 2.6 per cent in November, sparking fears of a double-dip recession. London’s main market [...]