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 [...]
Number of workers on furlough reaches pandemic-low as nearly 600k exit scheme July 29, 2021 The number of people on furlough has reached the lowest level since the scheme was launched in response to the Covid crisis in March last year after nearly 600k workers exited the scheme, new figures released today show. 1.9m people were on furlough at the end of June, down from 2.4m in May, driven by [...]
Exclusive: HMV’s new owner on where he wants to take his High Street stores July 29, 2021 Music and entertainment retailer HMV confirmed last week plans to open 10 new stores, including a flagship London site. Following its decline into administration two years ago its Oxford Street store – along with many others – were closed. However, new owner Doug Putman, a Canadian music retail executive, bought the struggling business and believes [...]
Guinness owner Diageo sales jump as it toasts reopening July 29, 2021 Spirits group Diageo has beaten expectations for full-year sales as it gears up the reopening of bars and nightclubs across Europe. The booze business, which owns brands such as Guinness, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff, reported net sales of £12.7bn in the year to the end of June, up 8.3 per cent on the previous year. [...]
Fraud detection company RELX expects 2021 revenue growth to be above historic trends July 29, 2021 Analytics and fraud prevention company RELX said it expected profit growth and underlying revenue to be “slightly above historic trends” in its 2021 full-year results. Following a strong performance in the first six months of 2021, the London-based company saw revenue total £3.39bn, with a constant historical currency growth of four per cent. However this [...]