Brexit: UK and EU to hold emergency talks amid flaring tensions September 10, 2020 The UK and the EU are set for a heated emergency meeting today over Boris Johnson’s decision to breach the Brexit withdrawal agreement by adding a number of “clarifications”. An “extraordinary” meeting of the UK-EU Joint Committee is scheduled for this afternoon, along with a one-on-one meeting between Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and the [...]
UK economy: Job adverts fall while retail footfall flatlines September 10, 2020 The UK’s economic recovery appeared to slow somewhat over the last few weeks, according to official data, with the number of online job adverts falling and retail footfall staying roughly flat. Britons gradually headed back to the office, however, with the number of people working remotely falling. In the week to 4 September, total online [...]
Spare a thought for line managers in the world of hybrid working conditions September 10, 2020 As I left my bustling neighbourhood in West London recently, to commute to my office in the empty streets of central London, it became clear that a widespread return to office-based work in the UK is tentative to say the least. Britain’s employees are returning to their workplaces at a snail’s pace (just 34 per [...]
The creative sector is vital to London – we must save it before it is too late September 8, 2020 Save our arts. That is the rallying call. It is a worthy one. The UK’s creative sector is a dynamic part of the economy, but it has been among the areas hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis and looks likely to recover last. While areas like retail and housing are rebounding solidly, the arts are prevented [...]
How City businesses are going digital for City Giving Day September 7, 2020 This year, The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s City Giving Day celebrations will be somewhat different. Many organisations, both new and old, will have to rethink the way they organise events. And we’ve been thrilled that companies have embraced the chance to broaden their horizons and find even more creative ways to support our communities. They are [...]
The City View: Rational markets and innovative central banks? An investor’s guide to the crisis, with Phil Smeaton September 7, 2020 In this episode Christian talks to Phil Smeaton, chief investment officer for Sanlam Private Wealth, about how markets have behaved in recent months and the forces that could shape them over the rest of this year. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Phil discusses the fall in the value of the US dollar; the US [...]
The Square Mile is welcoming Londoners back to the City September 7, 2020 Every week, we are seeing more people trickling back to the City of London for work, school, or simply to visit this world-class destination. Despite the sights across the Square Mile remaining strikingly familiar, those who have already returned will have noticed a number of changes. A new dawn has begun in the City. A [...]
HSBC’s looming pensions crisis: will the bank win the battle but lose the war? September 4, 2020 A business of any reasonable size should have members of its team scanning the horizon for potential problems, like Frederick Fleet in the crow’s nest of RMS Titanic. The most dangerous crises, though, are those which fall on a company from an apparently cloudless sky: those which hit unprepared, and leave a business scrabbling for [...]
Patreon valuation hits $1.2bn as it raises $90m in new funding round September 2, 2020 Patreon is now valued at more than $1bn as it announced it had raised $90m in a new funding round which it will use to expand internationally. Patreon, whose platform lets creators earn money from fans through a subscription service, said it had secured an additional round of $90m (£67.42m) in funding in a Series [...]
Can office workers save the day for local businesses ravaged by Covid-19? September 2, 2020 The sudden shift to remote working put in place by the majority of UK businesses may herald the end of the office, at least as we know it. Five months and multiple government campaigns later, and the shift to the kitchen table continues, seemingly unabated. According to a survey from US bank Morgan Stanley, just [...]