Standard Chartered profits surge as loan-loss provisions fall sharply August 3, 2021 Standard Chartered posted a better-than-expected 57 per cent jump in first-half pre-tax profits as it followed fellow banking giants in releasing a wave of capital set aside in anticipation of a surge in Covid-related customer defaults. Pre-tax profit for Standard Chartered, which has a strong presence in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, rose to [...]
Travis Perkins raises full year forecast as revenue soars August 3, 2021 Home improvement firm Travis Perkins raised its 2021 forecast today following a strong first-half, introducing a special dividend of 35 pence per share. Revenue for the business rose to £2.29bn in the six months ending June 2021, up from £1.66bn in the same period last year. The Northampton-based company increased their full year expectations to [...]
Domino’s profits rocket as ‘Freedom Day’ ushers in more consumer cash August 3, 2021 Domino’s has seen its sales and profits rocket in the past six months, as the end of restrictions in the UK ushered in greater consumer spending power. The pizza group’s profits after tax pulled in £41.3m in the six months to 27 June, surging 117.4 per cent from its just £19m profit in 2020. Sales [...]
First-half profits double at HSBC as bank reinstates dividend August 2, 2021 Banking behemoth HSBC appears to have recovered from the ravages of Covid-19, with first-half profits more than doubling on last year. The Asia-focussed bank recorded pre-tax profits of $10.8bn for the first six months of the year, some $6.5bn ahead of last year’s equivalent. The bank said all of its regions were profitable, with HSBC’s [...]
UK jobs market recovery accelerates on better than expected consumer spending August 2, 2021 The UK jobs market recovery is accelerating as a stronger than expected rebound in consumer spending is encouraging firms to take on staff, according to new figures released today. Research published by Lloyds Bank shows the proportion of UK businesses expecting to ramp up hiring rose to 18 per cent, a sixth consecutive monthly increase [...]
People are turning to Bitcoin at a rate of almost 52,000 new users every day July 30, 2021 Jason Deane crunches the numbers and discovers Bitcoin is attracting 36 new users every minute.
Paying tax sooner – HMRC wants its money faster July 30, 2021 What are the challenges and advantages of paying tax closer to real-time? HMRC calls for evidence and ICAS responds. Nobody is likely to volunteer to pay tax sooner, unless it would earn interest at a competitive rate perhaps. But knowing what your tax liability is, and when you need to pay it, as close to [...]
BA owner IAG dives to fresh €2bn loss July 30, 2021 British Airways owner IAG today plunged to a €2bn (£1.7bn) half year loss as continued travel restrictions continue to batter the airlines group. In the second quarter, the FTSE blue chip said that its airlines flew at a combined capacity of 21.9 per cent. For the coming period, it expects this to rise to 45 [...]
Two-tiered recovery? High Streets struggle as one-in-seven shops sit vacant July 30, 2021 A wave of administrations, closures and downsizing has decimated the UK high street, with new figures out this morning showing one in seven shops are sitting empty – and the problem is getting worse. In the second quarter of 2021, the overall vacancy rate increased to 14.5 per cent across the UK, from 14.1 per [...]
US stocks climb to record high on positive economic growth July 29, 2021 Wall Street climbed to record highs on Thursday as investors piled into stocks after new figures revealed the US economy is recovering quickly from the Covid crisis. The S&P 500 hit record levels in opening trading, but scaled back to rise 0.53 per cent to 4,424 during the morning session. Likewise, the Dow Jones and [...]