Gambling giant 888 turns page from scandals with William Hill boost August 15, 2023 Betting giant 888 has said its acquisition of William Hill has helped boost its revenue up 165 per cent. The firm said in the six months ended 30 June, revenue flew up 165 per cent, with adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation up 211 per cent thanks to its purchase of world’s biggest [...]
UK unemployment ticks up but wage growth hits two-decade-high August 15, 2023 The rate of UK unemployment rose to 4.2 per cent in the three months to June from 3.9 per cent in the previous three months, the Office for National Statistics said. However, this was tempered by annual growth in pay – excluding bonuses – up to 7.8 per cent in June. This is the highest [...]
Avoid ULEZ options but tackle air pollution, Starmer says August 14, 2023 Cities should look at other options for tackling air pollution instead of schemes like London’s ULEZ (ultra low emission zone), Sir Keir Starmer has suggested. The Labour leader said no-one in the UK should be “breathing dirty air” but added that proposals for reducing air pollution should not have a disproportionate impact on people’s pockets [...]
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars boss rakes in £1.77m pay packet after record year August 14, 2023 The boss of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was handed a bumper £1.77m pay packet, up 72 per cent from last year, after sales and profit at the carmaker hit record levels in 2022. Rolls-Royce’s latest company filings show the group delivered a record 6,021 cars in 2022 – with the US, Greater China and European markets [...]
FTSE 100 close: London subdued on quiet earnings day as YouGov mulls US listing August 14, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 started the week in subdued fashion, as a quiet earnings day was overshadowed by reports that YouGov is mulling a US listing. The capital’s premier blue chip index closed the day on 7,495.24 points, down 0.88 per cent, while the FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the domestic economy, was [...]
Cost of living pressures set to ease as inflation tipped to fall again August 14, 2023 Cost of living pressures facing households are set to ease, as experts predict inflation will fall below wage growth for the first time since last April. Official figures out on Tuesday are tipped to show that wage growth hit 7.4 per cent in the three months to June on an annual basis, up from 7.3 [...]
Open banking should expand ‘systematically’ as fintech criticises ‘data protectionism’ of big banks August 14, 2023 Regulators should expand open banking rules “systematically” in order to save customers thousands of pounds across a variety of different financial products, experts told City AM. With stakeholders consulting on the next stages of open banking, many in the sector have suggested regulators need to be bold in expanding data sharing rules into new financial [...]
Starmer parks nationwide ULEZ plans in attempt to woo motorists August 13, 2023 Keir Starmer has ditched Labour’s commitment to introduce Ulez-style clean air zones across the country, in a loss for Mayor Sadiq Khan. According to reports, a statement supporting the roll-out of clean air zones, which charge drivers whose vehicles fail to meet emissions standards, has been scrapped from the party’s policy programme. It follows Labour’s [...]
Mortgage and rent payments ‘difficult’ for almost 40 per cent of Brits August 11, 2023 Some 38 per cent of Brits have confessed to finding it difficult to afford their rent or mortgage payments over the past month, as the cost of living crisis continues to wreak havoc on the public’s personal finances. This figure was around 29 per cent in early August 2022, new figures from the ONS show, [...]
Wilko may look like Woolies 2.0, but a new buyer should save it from collapse August 11, 2023 Wilco’s collapse into administration put tens of thousands of jobs at risk, but the high street staple should have a future if a buyer sees beyond the hysteria, writes George MacDonald.