Ted Baker’s losses deepen as coronavirus hits retailer December 7, 2020 Fashion retailer Ted Baker’s losses deepened in the first half of the year as coronavirus took a heavy toll on the UK firm’s business. Ted Baker’s reported operating loss before tax was £86.4m in the six months ended 8 August, down from a loss of £23m in the same period a year earlier. Underlying losses [...]
Before the Bell: Fishing for a deal December 7, 2020 While markets in Europe underwent a fairly mixed week, the FTSE100 was notable in undergoing a significantly strong move higher to its best levels since March, driven up by a combination of optimism over the rollout of a vaccine, which begins this week, and the prospect of a possible UK/EU trade deal. US markets also [...]
The Week Ahead: Brexit, ECB rates, Rolls Royce, Ocado and Airbnb IPO December 7, 2020 City A.M. takes a look ahead at the main events shaping the markets this coming week, analysing what is to come with City insider Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. Monday: Ted Baker When Ted Baker announced in June it was looking to raise over £100m at a discounted price of 75p [...]
Crock Of Gold – A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan: A tribute to a life lived hard December 4, 2020 When we first see the star of Crock Of Gold – A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan, the instinct is to feel sad. He looks ravaged by the excesses of his 62 years, wheelchair bound and pale. However, one of the first preconceptions this documentary smashes is the idea that the singer/songwriter is a tragic [...]
Exclusive: Londoners take out 133 per cent more payday loans to cover Christmas this year December 4, 2020 Pressure on households to overspend this Christmas is increasingly making Londoners resort to payday loans to cover the costs of the festive period. Payday loans in London are set to increase by 133 per cent as households struggle to cover the costs of the holidays, according to the findings of a survey that pan-European credit [...]
High-flying business figures exempted from travel quarantine rules December 4, 2020 Business travellers who arrive back into England will no longer have to self-isolate if they come in from a country not on the government's travel corridor list.
DEBATE: Is a virtual office Christmas party a disastrous idea? December 4, 2020 Is a virtual office Christmas party a disastrous idea? John Oxley, a Conservative commentator, says YES. The only thing worse than enforced fun is enforced virtual fun. Real office parties are barely enjoyable. Spending an evening with colleagues you are largely indifferent to is an obligation you endure, because if you don’t they put “Poor [...]
Vaccine or no vaccine, Britain must relearn how to live with risk December 4, 2020 The approval this week of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the UK heralds the beginning of the end of this hellish pandemic. People are rejoicing — and rightly so. A vaccine was the light at the end of the Covid tunnel, and with the first doses due to be administered in a matter of days, there [...]
Goin’ underground: Tube journeys jump a third as lockdown ends December 3, 2020 The number of Tube journeys jumped a third yesterday compared to last week as the national lockdown restrictions were finally lifted. According to data from Transport for London (TfL), there were 2.64m taps in-and-out of Tube stations yesterday, 33 per cent higher than on the same day last week. That’s roughly a third of the [...]
Driving home for Christmas? Government puts road and rail works on ice December 3, 2020 The government will cancel planned roadworks and rail upgrades, and also lay on extra services, to ease people’s journeys over the Christmas period. With a large number of people expected to travel to visit relatives and friends over the holidays, ministers have put in place plans for a special travel window between 23 and 27 [...]