Wall Street ticks up as FTSE 100 sinks into red amid Covid-19 case worries August 21, 2020 Wall Street crept marginally higher this afternoon and the FTSE 100 dropped again as investors weighed up the global economic recovery and pockets of rising coronavirus cases. London’s blue-chip index closed down almost 0.19 per cent at 6,001 points, while the FTSE 250 climbed 0.24 per cent. US markets opened in the red before reversing [...]
Inside Missguided: Welcome to a world of celebrities, swearing, and knock-off fast fashion August 21, 2020 What is it about Manchester for producing creativity? The Hollies, The Bee Gees, Simply Red, The Verve – I could fill a whole page with the successful bands that have come out of Manchester. Then there’s Manchester-based brands and retailers: the Co-op, Kellogg’s, Warburtons, Betfred, AO.com. And then of course, there’s fashion. The Very Group, [...]
The City View: Rachel Cunliffe on the government’s competence problem August 21, 2020 In this episode Christian is joined by City A.M.‘s comment editor, Rachel Cunliffe, who expands on her forthright column from earlier in the week, criticising the education secretary Gavin Williamson. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Rachel talks about the failure of leadership and accountability surrounding the A-level marking fiasco, [...]
AO World revenue surges as customers continue online shopping post-lockdown August 20, 2020 Online electrical retailer AO World said today its revenue surged in the months during and after the easing of coronavirus lockdowns as demand for its products and services was sustained even after its rivals reopened stores in July. The company said year-on-year revenue in the UK jumped 58.9 per cent to £401.3m and 91.5 per [...]
The City View: Xavier Rees of Havas London on the value of creative ideas in the office August 20, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Today Andy Silvester is joined by Havas London CEO Xavier Rees. The ad land boss offers his thoughts on the return to work, the value of creative ideas in the office, and why he’s changed the company’s articles of association to become a “B Corp”. Andy also looks at [...]
US stocks open higher as Wall Street eyes more records August 19, 2020 Wall Street opened higher on Wednesday and looks to be heading for another day of new all-time records. The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high yesterday after recovering all of the losses suffered during the coronavirus crash and was up once again on Wednesday morning by a further 0.28 per cent to 3,399 points. [...]
UK firms cut more than 106,000 jobs amid coronavirus pandemic August 19, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has battered the UK economy since it arrived in early 2020 – and no sector has remained unscathed, with more than 100,000 job cuts planned during the pandemic. The government’s furlough scheme has allowed millions of people to keep getting a paycheck, but fears are growing that when this is phased out [...]
UK rail fares set to increase by 1.6 per cent in January despite pandemic August 19, 2020 UK rail fares are set to increase by 1.6 per cent in January, adding more than £100 to many annual season tickets to London, after an unexpected rise in a controversial measure of inflation. Official figures published today showed that retail price index (PRI) inflation rose by 1.6 per cent in July year on year. [...]
The City View: Beyoncé’s former manager on why classic hits are a hot asset class August 18, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS In this episode Christian talks to music industry veteran Merck Mercuriadis, a former manager of acts including Elton John and Beyoncé whose FTSE-listed investment firm has just hit a £1bn market cap after snapping up the rights to hits including Livin’ on a Prayer, Back to Black, Uptown Funk, Single Ladies and Don’t Stop Believing. [...]
London advocacy groups call for Waterloo and City Tube line to reopen August 17, 2020 London lobby groups have called for the reopening of the Waterloo and City Tube line to help increase the number of people going back to their offices. The shuttle service – which travels between Bank and Waterloo stations – is the only Tube line still not operating, after Transport for London (TfL) restricted public transport [...]