Green fingers: How cannabis can fuel a British agri-tech revolution July 17, 2020 Since time immemorial, the human race has slashed and burned its way through wilderness to fuel its rapacious growth. Food, medicine and building materials have required more and more deforestation, with the resultant decline in biodiversity and rise in the emission of greenhouse gases. Finally, comprehension is dawning about the impact of climate change and [...]
What are the long-term prospects for healthcare investing post Covid-19? July 16, 2020 The pandemic has shone a spotlight on healthcare but what happens when a vaccine is found? We asked Schroders’ investment experts for their views on the sector’s long-term prospects. The Covid-19 crisis has hurt most economic sectors this year. As of 30 June, healthcare was one of only three sectors to post positive year-to-date returns [...]
Ladbrokes owner GVC’s veteran CEO to retire July 16, 2020 Ladbrokes and Coral owner GVC’s chief executive announced his retirement today as the firm revealed coronavirus lockdowns have knocked first-half revenue by 11 per cent. Kenneth Alexander will leave the board and company tomorrow, when chief operating officer Shay Segev will replace him. The long-time CEO spent 13 years at the helm of GVC, during [...]
Beyond lockdown: The tech trends to watch July 16, 2020 Covid-19 has indelibly altered the way we live and work. As lockdown restrictions ease, it is vital that British businesses address the implications of the pandemic as part of their long-term strategies. However, rather than viewing this as a “restart”, companies should make the most of this opportunity to “rethink” their approach to a post-lockdown [...]
UK unveils plans for frictionless post-Brexit trade between UK nations July 15, 2020 The government will tomorrow outline plans to ensure post-Brexit regulatory alignment on trade across the four UK nations in a bid to ensure frictionless internal trade. The white paper will propose a principle of “mutual recognition” whereby regulations that are set by devolved governments are recognised across the country to allow for internal trade. It [...]
McCarthy & Stone swings to a loss as completed projects halve July 15, 2020 McCarthy & Stone posted a £25m loss for the first half of 2020 this morning, and warned of further difficulties as the pandemic continues. The retirement-home builder said coronavirus had dampened housing transactions, affecting the number of sales it was able to complete in the six months to the end of April. McCarthy & Stone [...]
Has the dream of a ‘V-shaped’ economic recovery died? July 14, 2020 Much has been made of whether or not the UK is going to see a ‘V-shaped’ economic recovery from coronavirus. That is, a sharp fall in output followed by an almost equally quick rebound. Those hoping for such a sharp bounce-back appeared to have been dealt a harsh blow today when official figures showed the [...]
FTSE 100 drops amid rising coronavirus cases and slow growth July 14, 2020 The FTSE 100 fell and US stocks were mixed as rising coronavirus cases around the world and the start of earnings season gave investors the jitters. London’s main stock index was 0.3 per cent lower in afternoon trading at 6,158 points. The FTSE 250 index of slightly smaller companies had fallen 1.4 per cent. Read [...]
Marvin Liao talks to BEQUANT July 14, 2020 Marvin Liao is an angel investor, advisor to several Family offices, ex-VC and ex-Tech & Media Executive. Marvin took a few minutes to talk to the team at BEQUANT about his views on COVID, crypto and the future of blockchain. 1. What in your view will happen to crypto post COVID? I think the growth of [...]
The City View: Miles Roberts on the packaging business July 13, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS In today’s episode – the first recorded from City AM’s offices – Andy is joined by Miles Roberts, CEO of FTSE-100 packaging firm DS Smith. Miles and Andy discuss the impact of lockdown on packaging, what innovation looks like when it comes to cardboard, and post-Brexit goods regimes. They [...]