Co-op warns cost of living crisis will eat into future profits as food to funeral care firm feels pain of inflation April 5, 2023 The Co-operative Group has warned that ongoing inflation and economic uncertainty is likely to reduce its profits in 2023. The food, insurance and funeral care provider revealed its underlying profit remained flat at £100m for the year while EBITDA was down £15m to £490m compared to £505m in 2021. Group revenue for the year was [...]
Aviva completes £400m bulk annuity deal with Deutsche Bank April 4, 2023 Aviva has completed a £400 million bulk purchase annuity buy-in transaction with the trustees of the Deutsche Bank (UK) Pension Scheme. Aviva will insure the defined benefit pension liabilities for nearly 1,300 members, removing the investmentand longevity risk of these members from the scheme. Aviva said members would experience no change in the amount of [...]
Nigel Lawson and the City: If you seek his monument, look around April 4, 2023 The modern City of London simply would not exist without the reforms driven through by the late Nigel Lawson
FTSE 100 close: London’s premier index falls as strong performance for miners not enough to tip market into green April 4, 2023 The FTSE 100 closed lower on Tuesday as markets ran out of steam despite a strong performance from many of the index’s mining giants. The capital’s premier index closed 0.5 per cent lower at 7,634.52 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, ended [...]
Over 50s take to the waves once more as cruise and insurance giant Saga’s revenue boosted by 50 per cent April 4, 2023 Over 50s specialist Saga boosted its revenue by more than 50 per cent on last year, as older and middle-aged Brits returned to cruises and holidays post pandemic. Shares in the company were up almost three per cent this morning, as it announced 2023 earnings of £581m for the year ended January 31, up from [...]
Royal London snaps up Aegon’s protection business, adding 400,000 customers to its books April 4, 2023 Royal London, one of the UK’s largest life, pensions, and investment mutuals, has snapped up Aegon UK’s individual protection business. The acquisition, which is subject to court approval, will see the transfer of 400,000 customers’ life insurance, critical illness and income protection to Royal London. Barry O’Dwyer, group chief executive of Royal London said: “We [...]
May 2023 local elections: All you need to know April 4, 2023 In just over a month, voters in some parts of the UK will be heading to the ballot box for the local elections. Polling stations will open for residents to select local councillors – in what’s often seen as a key test for the government’s popularity, particularly after the turbulence of recent months. It’s also [...]
HSBC versus Asian shareholders: Bank’s chiefs warn Hong Kong investors against ‘risky’ break-up April 3, 2023 HSBC’s top brass hit back at shareholder proposals to spin off the bank’s Asian business and pay fixed dividends, as it sought to quieten shareholders’ discontent about the bank’s business model. At a meeting of investors in Hong Kong, Reuters reported that HSBC chair Mark Tucker warned a restructuring or spin-off of HSBC’s Asia business [...]
The must-have accessory for global finance chief execs? A first class flight to Beijing April 3, 2023 A flurry of top financial executives have visited China for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic as global financial giants seek to cement their relations with Beijing at the start of President Xi Jinping’s new term. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, HSBC CEO Noel Quinn and Standard Chartered boss Bill Winters are among the [...]
London will NOT be next: Paris bans e-scooters after mini referendum April 3, 2023 Parisians have overwhelmingly voted to banish for-hire e-scooters from the streets of the French capital, in a mini-referendum the mayor said sent a “very clear message”. Approximately 15,000 e-scooters could now vanish from central Paris at the end of August when the city’s contracts with the three operators expire. In Paris, the question that City [...]