FTSE 100 leaps after WHO eases coronavirus fears January 24, 2020 The FTSE 100 stormed ahead today, more than clawing back the losses incurred yesterday as investors’ fears over the spread of the coronavirus mounted. The World Health Organisation yesterday stopped short of declaring the outbreak in China an emergency for the rest of the world. European equities gained in response today, before posting further jumps [...]
This week: Why the Pound shone over the Euro January 24, 2020 After a poor end to last week, the pound responded with a dominant performance this week, gaining an average of 0.8 per cent against the other major currencies. Indeed, it was only the Japanese yen that it lost out to (dropping 0.2 per cent). Such a performance has helped the pound climb to the top [...]
Just Eat shares fall as CMA probes Takeaway.com merger January 24, 2020 Shares in Just Eat fell three per cent this morning after the UK’s competition regulator launched a last-minute investigation into the proposed merger between delivery giants Just Eat and Takeaway.com. Takeaway.com said that it would revise its timetable by one week, meaning that unless the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) barred the move, shares in [...]
Failed Asda merger ‘trigger’ for Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe’s exit January 22, 2020 The departure of Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe’s was sparked by the failure to merge the supermarket with rival Asda, analysts said today. Industry experts said it was impossible to look beyond the failure of the Asda merger, and felt his resignation – announced today – was simply a matter of time. Coupe was caught on [...]
Government confirms probe into Daily Mail takeover of i newspaper January 22, 2020 The government today confirmed that it will launch an investigation into the Daily Mail’s £50m takeover of the i newspaper amid public interest concerns. Culture secretary Nicky Morgan has issued a public interest intervention notice over fears the tie-up will impact the “sufficient plurality of viewpoints” in UK newspapers. The notice will spark a report [...]
Sainsbury’s to cut hundreds of management jobs January 21, 2020 Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s said today it would cut hundreds of management roles. It said the move was part of its plan to further integrate Sainsbury’s with catalogue retailer Argos which it bought in 2016 in a £1.4bn deal. Sainsbury’s said it had reduced its senior leadership team by 20 per cent since the start of [...]
CMA launches probe into Future’s TI Media merger January 20, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced today that it is investigating whether Future’s proposed acquisition of TI Media could harm competition. In October 2019, the publisher said it planned to acquire magazine printer TI Media, which owns popular titles Country Life and Marie Claire, for £140m in cash. The CMA said it was considering [...]
What happened to the pound, euro and US dollar in 2019? January 20, 2020 It has been a year of ups and downs for sterling, largely dominated by political and geopolitical factors. Investors’ concern over the outcome of Brexit largely overshadowed other factors. Despite celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2019, it wasn’t a banner year for the euro. Over the last 20 years, the euro has strengthened by 27 [...]
What does 2020 hold in store for the pound? January 20, 2020 Brexit cast a long shadow over the pound in 2019. Additional factors that influenced the value of sterling – caution from the Bank of England, faltering economic results – were all seen through the lens of Brexit. Now that parliament has backed the Brexit bill, the focus may move slightly from the challenges of uncertainty [...]
Exclusive: EY plans major private equity push as audit reform looms over sector January 19, 2020 Big Four firm EY is planning a major private equity push as it grapples with potential regulatory changes that could dramatically alter the face of the firm, City A.M. can reveal. Its transaction advisory division is understood to be looking to boost its capabilities in the private equity sector, with the goal of winning more [...]