Coronavirus: British companies rush to mothball results after City watchdog calls for delay March 23, 2020 British companies are rushing to delay the publication of their results following an unprecedented call from the financial regulator for results to be suspended due to the coronavirus crisis. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said late on Saturday that listed firms planning to report preliminary results in the next few days should mothball them for [...]
Flying taxi startup Lilium raises $240m in funding round March 23, 2020 German flying taxi firm Lilium has raised an extra $240m (£207m) in funding from backers such as Chinese tech firm Tencent. The new funds mean that the startup has now raised more than $340m, which it will use for further development of its prototype jet as well as preparing its facilities to begin production. The [...]
Car dealers confident for coming year as Brexit fears dwindle February 25, 2020 An overwhelming majority of UK car dealerships are confident about the outlook for their business, despite a challenging 2019 for the motor industry. A new survey by Close Brothers Motor Finance shows that 98 per cent of dealers were optimistic about the future, with almost two-thirds (63 per cent) describing themselves as “very confident”. The [...]
City regulator fines Provident Financial subsidiary Moneybarn £2.8m February 17, 2020 The financial watchdog has fined car finance provider Moneybarn £2.77m for treating customers unfairly when they fell behind on loan repayments. Moneybarn, which is part of Provident Financial, has voluntarily repaid over £30m to almost 6,000 customers potentially effected by the failings, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said. The FCA also found that Moneybarn was [...]
Consumer credit forecast to grow at lowest rate for six years in 2020 February 17, 2020 Consumer credit is forecast to grow at its lowest rate in six years in 2020, despite a post-election pick-up in consumer confidence. The EY Item Club predicted consumer credit growth of 3.2 per cent this year. Although lending rose slightly at the end of 2019, signalling a post-election increase in demand, the annual forecast remains [...]
Most Brits intend to turn to electric or hybrid cars with next purchase January 31, 2020 The majority of British drivers do not intend to buy a conventional petrol or diesel car for their next purchase, amid growing interest in hybrid and electric cars. Only 48 per cent of consumers in a major poll said they plan to buy a traditional internal combustion engine-powered car next, City A.M. can reveal. That [...]
Sajid Javid denies ‘no alignment’ with EU plan will hit manufacturers January 21, 2020 Sajid Javid has denied the government’s policy of “no alignment” with European Union rules will damage the manufacturing industry. The chancellor was asked whether comments made over the weekend that some firms would not benefit from Brexit meant he was prepared to sacrifice some UK manufacturers. He said: “No, not at all. We look forward [...]
The wheels come off: Are car sales still a bellwether for the UK economy? January 21, 2020 Route planning is always tricky. For investors, charting a path through the busy roadworks of the UK economy in 2020 can be especially hard, so markets are quick to pounce on any data that might provide a turning signal for the future. That’s why figures released earlier this month by the Society of Motor Manufacturers [...]
City cautiously approves of chancellor’s post-Brexit regulations plan January 19, 2020 The City of London Corporation has responded with cautious approval to chancellor Sajid Javid’s statement that post-Brexit financial services trade with the EU should be on the basis of “outcome-based” equivalence of rules. The chancellor has faced a backlash from car manufacturers and business bodies, however, after he told the Financial Times that the UK [...]
SMMT: UK car sales plunge to six-year low despite electric growth January 6, 2020 British car sales slumped to a six-year low in 2019, as widespread economic uncertainty put the brakes on an industry whose only glimmer of hope came in the form of record electric vehicle sales. New car registrations fell two per cent to 2.31m last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), [...]