Shoppers flock back to the West End in grand reopening of London April 19, 2021 Following the easing of the lockdown the number of shoppers and visitors heading to the West End was more than expected, as shops in central London opened for the first time in months. In the first week following the easing of lockdown restrictions footfall in the West End stood at around 54 per cent of [...]
Kantar ‘closes in’ on $1.5bn deal for US data rival Numerator April 19, 2021 Kantar is said to be nearing a $1.5bn (£1bn) deal to buy US rival Numerator from buyout fund Vista Equity Partners. The deal, which is expected to be announced imminently, will see Kantar take full control over the Chicago-based market intelligence provider, Reuters reported. Numerator, which was taken over by Vista in 2017, provides market [...]
FTSE 100 pushes above 7,000 for first time since Covid crash as Wall Street hits new records April 16, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 rose above the 7,000-mark today for the first time since Covid pummelled financial markets last year. Across the Atlantic, Wall Street again hit new record highs on the back of a bumper set of earnigns from America’s banking giants. Speedy vaccine rollouts and government policy support has lifted investor confidence about a [...]
Covid infection levels fell sharply across UK last week April 16, 2021 The number of people infected with Covid-19 across the UK fell sharply last week, the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show. After a slight rise last week, the number of people with the disease in England for the week ending 10 April was about one in 480. That’s a considerable drop [...]
London businesses demand return of the Night Tube amid delay until 2022 April 15, 2021 London businesses have demanded the resumption of the Night Tube after Transport for London (TfL) said earlier this week the service will not return until at least 2022. Andy Byford, the transport commissioner for London, said the capital’s struggling transport body lacked the resources to reinstate all-night Friday and Saturday services on the Victoria, Jubilee, Central, Northern, [...]
Looking for a fresh outlook for your business? April 15, 2021 With many businesses re-evaluating their ways of working and their property requirementspost Covid, there is a real ripple effect being felt in small suburban towns. Start up rates are rocketing, home workers are accessing local services, spending priorities and consumer behaviour has changed; the impacts are only just beginning to emerge and businesses will almost [...]
Beleaguered Cineworld tops the list of 10 most shorted UK stocks April 15, 2021 Cineworld tops the list of 10 most shorted stocks in the UK as hedge funds take aim at the cinema which has been forced to shut for over a year. A “short” is a method of betting against a stock, so that the investor can make a profit if the share price falls. Investors borrow [...]
S&P 500 and Dow hit record highs on upbeat earnings April 15, 2021 The S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes hit record highs on today, as upbeat earnings reports from companies including Bank of America and Blackrock as well as a strong rebound in March retail sales bolstered hopes of a broader economic rebound. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 57.64 points, or 0.17%, at the open to 33,788.53. The S&P 500 [...]
Croatian wine is shedding its rep as cheap plonk – here’s why April 15, 2021 Croatia has an ideal climate for wine making, but lacks the reputation as a solid producer of premium bottles. For years its exports would feature in the bottom echelons of wine lists, labeled – mostly fairly – as cheap and cheerful plonk. But not any more. The UK’s first Croatian wine importer is run by [...]
Before the Open: Late US tech selloff set to act as a drag on European open April 15, 2021 US markets saw another mixed close yesterday, only this time it was the S&P500 and Nasdaq that finished the day lower, while the Dow and Russell 2000 finished higher on the day. Despite the mixed close the S&P500 and Dow still managed to post new record highs. Coinbase finished its first day of trading, closing [...]