Wall Street and FTSE surge as US stimulus and Brexit deal lift sentiment December 29, 2020 Wall Street hit fresh highs and the FTSE 100 posted strong gains today as investor confidence mounts in the final days of the year. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones were up 0.49 per cent and 0.57 per cent respectively as markets opened this afternoon. The Nasdaq also gained 0.42 per cent. Read more: Wall [...]
The Hut Group ramps up growth plans with £300m takeover spree December 29, 2020 The Hut Group has forked out more than £300m to acquire three companies as the online fashion and beauty retailer pursues an aggressive growth plan after its stock market float. The Manchester-based ecommerce group today said it will snap up skincare brand Dermstore from US retail giant Target for $350m (£259m). It has also acquired [...]
EU and China on the brink of sealing historic trade pact December 29, 2020 The European Union and China are close to signing a trade and investment pact, according to multiple reports. The deal would be the first fissure in trade policy to develop post-Brexit between the UK and the continental trading bloc. The pact is said to open up China’s manufacturing and construction sectors to EU companies. Whilst [...]
Fashion-forward: Is Covid the final nail in the coffin for City-formal? December 29, 2020 The City has long been a bastion of men’s fashion. While you may not instantly put Cheapside, Leadenhall and Threadneedle in the same category as Carnaby Street or Camden when it comes to setting fashion trends, since time immemorial the best-dressed businessmen in the world have strutted their stuff in the streets, offices and certainly [...]
Brexit: Boris Johnson hails ‘new starting point’ in UK-EU relationship December 28, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson today hailed a “new starting point” for the UK’s relationship with the EU after the two sides agreed a post-Brexit trade deal. In a call with European Council president Charles Michel this afternoon, Johnson welcomed the agreement as a fresh start “between sovereign equals”. “We looked forward to the formal ratification [...]
Shirley film review: Elizabeth Moss chills again in strange horror December 28, 2020 Having chilled us earlier this year with breakout hit The Invisible Man, Elisabeth Moss plays American horror author Shirley Jackson in an interesting non-biopic. Odessa Young and Logan Lerman play Rose and Fred, a young couple expecting a baby who come to live with Jackson and her husband Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg), an academic and [...]
Rescue New Year’s Eve 2021 with these Bacardi cocktails December 28, 2020 The government’s pandemic policy has left New Year’s plans in disarray, and millions of Britons asking if there is any way the holidays can be saved. Fortunately, the creative team at Bacardi have invented a range of festive cocktails to help lift the mood. So raid your liquor cabinet or book a delivery slot, because [...]
Brits warned of Brexit disruption despite trade deal December 28, 2020 Brits will face “some disruption” when the UK leaves the EU this week despite a last-minute trade deal, the government has warned. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said businesses and citizens must prepare for “practical and procedural changes”, warning that time to adapt to the new rules was very tight. Gove hailed the UK’s post-Brexit [...]
10 video games that defined the strange year that was 2020 December 27, 2020 In a year that blockbuster movies were delayed en masse and people were confined to their homes for months at a time, video games played a more important role than ever in our lives. With the new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 finally making an appearance last month, 2020 was also a last hurrah [...]
Mayor bids for developer levy to fund replacement cladding work December 27, 2020 Sadiq Khan has called on Whitehall to introduce a £3bn levy on private housing developers to fund replacement cladding work. Thousands of Londoners, both in the private and social housing sector, are still awaiting replacement cladding work on their properties after the Grenfell Tower disaster exposed serious safety issues. Read more: Mayor warns of toughest [...]