Barclays profit more than doubles to £2.4bn, as it shifts call centres to UK from India April 30, 2021 Barclays’ profit more than doubled in the first quarter despite not releasing cash set aside to cover bad loans from the pandemic like its British rivals. The bank posted a pre-tax profit of £2.4bn for the first three months of the year, up from £923m in the same period a year earlier and beating an [...]
Business confidence in London jumps to pre-pandemic levels April 30, 2021 Business confidence in London rose 20 points during April, to 32 per cent, its highest level since January 2020. Moreover, companies in the capital reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 17 points at 31 per cent, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 22 [...]
City fund managers discuss post-pandemic opportunities, with NatWest, Lloyds and BP topping the list April 28, 2021 As the economy slowly recovers from what has been a dramatic year, and investors gradually dare to think again about growth and investment, City A.M. checked in with a number of prominent Square Mile-based fund mangers to find out where they spot opportunities as London’s investment community starts to shake off the pandemic. Banking, energy [...]
FTSE 100 rises while US stocks mixed as investors await Fed meeting April 28, 2021 The FTSE 100 closed higher after a busy day of results while US stocks are mixed as investors awaited the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting. London’s blue-chip index closed 0.27 per cent higher boosted by a series of positive earnings updates from WPP and Lloyds. Investors’ focus now turns to the US [...]
Santander UK profit soars two-thirds April 28, 2021 Santander UK hailed a “strong” set of results this morning as profit before tax rose nearly two-thirds in the first quarter. The bank said that pre-tax profit was up 61 per cent, jumping from £114m to £184m over the three month period. It added that its return on tangible equity (RoTE), a key metric, was [...]
FTSE 100 weighed down by Aveva while Wall Street slips ahead of tech earnings April 27, 2021 The FTSE 100 closed in the red this afternoon despite a strong day of results for heavyweights BP and HSBC, while US stocks were muted ahead of bumper tech earnings. London’s blue-chip index closed down 0.26 per cent this afternoon as Aveva slumped nearly five per cent following its CEO’s exit. The drop was limited [...]
Extinction Rebellion cleared of criminal damage to Shell building April 23, 2021 Six members of Extinction Rebellion have been found not guilty of criminal damage, after the protest group spray painted the Shell building at Waterloo in April 2019. The six activists were acquitted today at Southwark Crown Court, with the jury delivering a ‘not guilty’ verdict for each of the defendants, despite the court’s judge ruling [...]
Extinction Rebellion activists block headquarters of Lloyd’s of London in the City April 23, 2021 Climate activists are protesting outside the office of Lloyd’s of London in the City this morning, dumping fake coal outside in front of the building as part of a campaign against insuring fossil fuel mining activities. Activists from the Extinction Rebellion group are holding up banners with slogans such as “Climate Criminals” after they dumped [...]
Sadiq Khan slaps down Boris Johnson call for Ronald Reagan statue outside parliament April 21, 2021 Sadiq Khan has today turned down a call by Boris Johnson to erect a Ronald Reagan statue just outside of the Houses of Parliament. Tory MP Andrew Rosindell today told MPs that a statue of the former US president had been removed from a square in Mayfair and called on Johnson to place it in [...]
Lloyd’s of London to set up Manchester hub April 20, 2021 Lloyd’s of London plans to set up a Manchester ‘hub’ that will house a number of digital roles, locally sourced from Manchester’s talent pool. The insurer said the new hub should be up and running by January 2022, and those working in Manchester will be offered flexible working. The hub will focus on enhancing Lloyd’s [...]