Rail fares could soar by 12 per cent amid inflationary spikes May 5, 2022 Railway users could soon enough see the price of their tickets soar as a result of inflation spiking to 7 per cent and not showing any sign of easing. Economists argued fares could go up as high as 12 per cent from next year if the government doesn’t untie the increase in inflation rates and [...]
McColl’s appeals for rescue deal: Administration ‘increasingly likely’ unless solution can be found May 5, 2022 Convenience store giant McColl’s has said it is “increasingly likely” it will be forced to call in administrators unless an immediate rescue deal can be cinched. Responding to press speculation, the London-listed firm said that “unless an alternative solution can be agreed in the short term, it is increasingly likely that the group would be [...]
Hiscox sets aside £32m to weather impact of war in Ukraine May 5, 2022 Insurance giant Hiscox has ring fenced $40m to weather expected losses from the war in Ukraine, as it quantifies the hit of the conflict for the first time.
Steeper US Fed rate hike sends investors wobbling May 4, 2022 The prospect of the world’s most influential central bank hiking interest rates by double the amount it normally does weighed on London’s top indexes today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dropped 0.9 per cent to 7,493.45 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK [...]
West End set for booming recovery as tourists flock back to capital May 3, 2022 Londoners can bet on a roaring West End comeback, after Peel Hunt analysts pointed to a resilient recovery in occupier demand and rental tone. In a note yesterday, Peel Hunt said that the future looked cheery for the central London shopping and theatre destination, “despite wider uncertainty and the cost of living squeeze.” It comes [...]
Investors’ warm response to break up rumours boosts HSBC shares May 3, 2022 Shares in Britain’s biggest bank climbed today in a sign investors backed a proposal by its largest shareholder to carve out its profit-machine Asia business. FTSE 100-listed HSBC’s shares gained 1.61 per cent today on the first day of trading in London since calls to break-up the lender strengthened. Ping An, a Chinese insurance giant [...]
The City View: Michael Hewson on why calls for a windfall tax are misplaced May 3, 2022 Today Andy Silvester talks to Michael Hewson, Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets. They pick apart the arguments for a windfall tax on BP, discuss potential rate rises from the Fed and Bank of England, and go through the impact that China’s zero-Covid policy has had on manufacturing in the country. And in other news [...]
McColl’s shares to be suspended from LSE as accounts cannot be signed off by auditors May 3, 2022 Struggling convenience store business McColl’s is set to have its shares suspended from the London Stock Exchange as bosses said they would be unable to get its accounts signed off by auditors in time. The retailer has been in discussions with potential lenders to shore up the business, which struggled badly during the pandemic due [...]
Bringing retail investors into the fold creates equality of opportunity from our wealth May 3, 2022 In the 1980s, one of the UK’s most high-profile flotations was the privatisation of the state-owned British Gas. The government’s “Tell Sid” 1986 advertising campaign attracted many of its 500,000-strong army of private investors. During the countdown to the British Gas shares sale, the government courted subscriptions from retail investors in every way imaginable – [...]
Fast fashion slammed over cargo plane emissions May 2, 2022 Fast fashion critics have called for more industry regulation after Shein and other retailers have been using planes to deliver their products, often at great environmental cost. According to the data from the CarbonCare emission calculator, a cargo plane used by Shein carries 100 tonnes of cargo, producing around 443 tonnes of CO2 to go [...]