UK entertainment and media industry to lead western Europe by 2025 July 13, 2021 The UK’s entertainment and media industry is forecast to become the largest in western Europe by 2025 following a rapid rebound in the aftermath of the pandemic. The sector has suffered a major setback due to Covid, with total revenue falling five per cent in 2020 due to the impact of lockdowns on cinema, live [...]
Forward Partners confirms £36.5m AIM listing July 13, 2021 Tech-focused venture capital firm Forward Partners will list on London’s AIM market later this month with a market capitalisation of £134.6m. The firm said that its listing was oversubscribed, and would raise proceeds of £36.5m, which it will use to fund future investments. Blackrock and Draper Espirit are both backing the listing, having committed to [...]
US firms poised to ramp up investment in Britain July 13, 2021 Top American companies are set to increase their investment in Britain in the coming years despite the impact of the pandemic and Brexit. A survey of large US multinationals that together employ around 275,000 staff in the UK found the majority were confident in Britain as a place to do business. Around 60 per cent [...]
House sales drop by over half as stamp duty holiday winds down July 12, 2021 House prices were down 60 per cent on the five year average in the first week of July as the stamp duty holiday comes to an end. This follows a bumper June, with the number of UK property transactions last month set to be the highest on record according to Knight Frank. Tax savings fell [...]
Admiral ups first half guidance after motor claims windfall July 12, 2021 Insurer Admiral this morning said that it was on track to make a higher than expected profit in the first half of 2021 after a boost in profit from its motor injury claims division. As a result, the firm said that it would pay out an interim dividend of between 110p and 125p per share. [...]
How to build an ethical business July 12, 2021 The demand for businesses to be ethical is rising. But how can companies ensure that sustainability does not come at the cost of financial stability? Christian Koch investigates. This article was written before the coronavirus pandemic had escalated in the UK, Europe and the USA and first appears in the April 2020 issue of CA magazine. [...]
UK finance chiefs gear up for post-pandemic spending boom July 12, 2021 Spending by UK businesses is set to surge in the coming months as finance directors prepare for a sharp increase in hiring and investment, according to a new survey. Almost three-quarters of chief financial officers expect rises in capital expenditure, while 76 per cent forecast increases in hiring in the year ahead. Expectations for both [...]
Exclusive: London faces ‘furlough cliff edge’ with Newham, Haringey and Brent to suffer most July 10, 2021 London workers are amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic onslaught, with four London boroughs featuring in the top five areas in the UK that are most reliant on furlough. The London borough of Newham has 18 per cent of its working population on furlough and is second out of 369 ranked county or district [...]
The Analyst: What could the future hold for Channel 4? July 10, 2021 Ian Whittaker has been a City analyst for more than two decades, and what he doesn’t know about media, advertising and the creative services industry isn’t worth knowing. Here’s his second monthly column for City A.M. The UK Government recently announced a consultation on the future of state-owned Channel 4. Theoretically all options remain but [...]
Five years since Brexit: four charts to show UK shares could be returning to favour July 9, 2021 As Brexit negotiations reached their denouement late last year UK investors sensed the outlook for their home market improving. The Schroders 2020 UK Financial Adviser Survey revealed 40% of respondents were looking to increase allocations to UK shares over the subsequent 12 months, see: Are investors adjusting to the new normal? Six months on, with a “no-deal” outcome [...]