General Election 2019: Boris Johnson hints at plans to hike National Insurance threshold November 20, 2019 A Conservative government would put up the National Insurance threshold to £12,000 as part of plans to “cut tax for working people”, Boris Johnson said today. During an apparently unintended revelation as part of a question and answer session in a Teeside factor, the Prime Minister told reporters he would increase the rate at which [...]
FTSE 100 falls one per cent after Donald Trump trade comments November 20, 2019 European stock markets have fallen today following President Donald Trump’s threat to raise tariffs on Chinese goods if no deal can be reached between the two sides, with the FTSE 100 leading the bunch downwards. The FTSE 100 was down 1.09 per cent by 12.45pm UK time. In Germany, the Dax index was 0.70 per [...]
ECB: Record-low interest rates causing ‘excessive risk-taking’ November 20, 2019 Record-low interest rates in the Eurozone have led to “excessive risk-taking in some sectors” which could threaten financial stability, the European Central Bank (ECB) has warned. The ECB defended low rates in its latest financial stability report, however, saying they were necessary to support economic activity in the struggling Eurozone. Read more: ECB warned over [...]
City Moves for 20 November – Who’s switching jobs at Allsop, Baker McKenzie and Saga? November 20, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Allsop, Baker McKenzie and Saga Allsop Leading property consultancy Allsop has appointed Jamie Hopkins to its board as non-executive director. Jamie is the former chief executive officer of Workspace, a leading provider of business space, having served in the role since 2012. Scott Tyler, senior partner at Allsop, said: “We are [...]
Investors underwhelmed by Aviva’s restructuring plans November 20, 2019 Shares in Aviva slipped on Wednesday after the insurer announced plans to restructure its business and sell off its Hong Kong division in a bid to revive investor interest in the group. The insurance company will simplify its business structure into five operating divisions and sell its stake in Hong Kong business, called Blue, to co-investor [...]
Meet the UK’s 70 fastest-growing tech firms November 20, 2019 70 of the most promising high-growth tech firms in the UK have been named as the country’s top scaleup companies by tech group Silicon Valley Comes to the UK (SVC2UK). Media intelligence company Signal AI, car insurance specialist Cuvva, and online plant store Patch are among the firms that have been selected for SC2UK’s 2019 [...]
The Investor Forum pushes Aviva to shake-up strategy November 19, 2019 A group of institutional investors has pushed insurer Aviva to overhaul its strategy ahead of an investor meeting tomorrow. The Investor Forum, whose members manage assets worth about £21 trillion, has urged Aviva to produce a credible long-term plan to increase its value, Sky News reported. The Forum wrote to Aviva over the last few [...]
Three more companies ditch sponsorship of Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace scheme November 19, 2019 Three more companies said they would no longer support Prince Andrew’s entrepreneurial scheme Pitch@Palace, a day after KPMG jumped ship. International banking giant Standard Chartered was the first to pull the plug. A spokesman confirmed: “We won’t be renewing the sponsorship when it ends in February.” Read more: Corporate sponsors look to desert Prince Andrew’s [...]
John McDonnell says Labour will break up Big Four ‘cartel’ November 19, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell today promised to break up the “cartel” of the Big Four accounting firms if Labour wins the upcoming election. “Under Labour the Big Four companies will not be allowed to continue to act like a cartel,” McDonnell told a Westminster audience during a speech on Labour’s plans for the economy. The [...]
Lloyd’s of London to put up posters in City pubs in bid to tackle culture problems November 19, 2019 Lloyd’s of London is targeting the insurance industry’s bustling pubs and cafes as part of a company campaign to tackle harassment and misconduct. The historic insurance marketplace will put up banners and posters around EC3 following a swathe of misconduct allegations that have rocked its reputation. Read more: Lloyd’s of London sets out electronic modernisation [...]