HSBC to cut 35,000 jobs as bank resumes redundancy plan June 17, 2020 HSBC is resuming a massive redundancy plan that had been put on pause after the outbreak of coronavirus, with 35,000 jobs set to be cut. The job cuts will be made over the medium term, while the lender will also freeze almost all external recruitment, said chief executive Noel Quinn in a memo sent to [...]
FTSE 100 closes higher on new coronavirus drug hopes June 16, 2020 The FTSE 100 extended its gains this afternoon closing up nearly three per cent after a major development in an Oxford University clinical trial. London’s blue-chip index climbed to highs of 3.53 per cent in the afternoon, before closing up 2.96 per cent. It erased Monday’s losses when traders were jittery on second wave fears. [...]
Selfridges, Kurt Geiger, Intu hail shopper appetite as stores reopen June 16, 2020 High-end retailers have struck a positive note after the first day of their stores being reopen since the coronavirus lockdown started in March. Selfridges, the London department store, said that footfall had been greater than expected, while other retailers and venues gave similar indications. Selfridges said: “We have been pleasantly surprised by the response as [...]
I helped write the manifesto — and now our skills agenda is more important than ever June 16, 2020 With Britain now facing economic challenges that were inconceivable just a few months ago, it’s worth reflecting on some of the ideas we will need to spur economic recovery in today’s very different world — including from the manifesto we wrote before the December 2019 election. I remember vividly that collective sense of elation as [...]
London Stock Exchange celebrates AIM’s 25th anniversary June 16, 2020 The London Stock Exchange (LSE) will this week celebrate the 25th anniversary of AIM, its sub-market for smaller and growing companies. Since its launch in 1995 over 3,800 companies have been admitted to AIM, raising a combined £118bn in equity capital, according to new research by audit firm Grant Thornton. In 2019, AIM-listed companies contributed [...]
US stocks and FTSE 100 tumble as fears of second wave intensify June 15, 2020 The FTSE 100 faltered in afternoon trading, while US stocks sunk into the red as traders remained wary of a second spike in coronavirus infections. London’s blue-chip index opened down 2.05 per cent to 5,980 points, even as retailers began to open their doors for the first time in three months. US stocks dropped sharply [...]
Johanna Kyrklund: Is retail investor surge cause for caution? June 15, 2020 With a combination of resurgent markets, seemingly ebullient retail investors and a bleak economic outlook, it may be prudent to tread carefully. It’s an old investment cliché that when your taxi driver starts giving you share tips, it’s time to sell. As someone who has been on the receiving end of cabbie investment advice during [...]
High street footfall jumps 50 per cent as shops reopen for business June 15, 2020 Britain’s high streets have enjoyed a 52 per cent jump in footfall this morning, after shops opened their doors for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March. So-called non-essential retailers reopened this morning after the much-anticipated easing of lockdown measures by the government. According to Springboard data, footfall across all retail destinations [...]
Shops reopen to long queues as social distancing measures come into force June 15, 2020 Retailers this morning flung open their doors to the public for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March. People formed long queues outside Primark outlets in London and Birmingham this morning before the shops reopened at 8am, in a signal that despite fears that footfall would be low initially, there was [...]
H&M sales halve during lockdown months as retailer hopes for June recovery June 15, 2020 Sales at H&M halved during the second quarter of the year, after the coronavirus lockdown forced it to close four-fifths of its global stores during the outbreak. The world’s second-biggest fashion retailer’s net sales for the three months to 31 May were 28.7bn crowns (£2.45bn), 50 per cent lower than the same period last year. [...]