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 [...]
Water companies turn back on pledge to not pay dividends January 19, 2020 Some of Britain’s largest water companies have given away hundreds of millions of pounds to shareholders in recent years, despite promises to stop paying dividends. Southern Water, Thames Water and Yorkshire Water all promised to stop paying dividends to shareholders, after watchdog Ofwat told them to invest in more infrastructure and cut bills. Read more: [...]
Ovo completes purchase of SSE’s retail business January 15, 2020 Ovo today completed the acquisition of SSE’s retail arm on a landmark day for the UK energy sector. The £500m deal will see Ovo take on roughly 3.5m households from the energy giant, meaning it will become the second largest supplier in the country with around 5m customers. Read more: Watchdog gives green light for [...]
London Stock Exchange set to send $27bn Refinitiv deal to EU regulators January 13, 2020 The London Stock Exchange Group is reportedly set to file its $27bn (£20.8bn) deal to buy financial data group Refinitiv with EU antitrust authorities, following extensive discussions with Brussels over the scope of its investigation into the merger. The two sides have not yet resolved the issue of what constitutes “the market” against which the [...]
Banking watchdog outlines plan for single interest rate across cash savings accounts January 9, 2020 The financial watchdog has proposed an overhaul of cash savings products in the UK, a move it said would bump up interest payments to consumers by £260m a year. Under the plans by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), banks would have to set a single easy access interest rate (SEAR) across all easy access accounts. [...]