FTSE 100 and European stocks drop as Wall Street rally fizzles out June 9, 2020 The FTSE 100 sank into the red on Tuesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepared to outline further measures to ease the Covid-19 lockdown. The blue-chip index was expected to make gains after the UK reported its lowest tally of coronavirus deaths since lockdown began yesterday, with London reporting no new Covid deaths, but had [...]
Watchdog puts BAT in its sights as it clamps down on Instagram vaping ads December 18, 2019 The advertising watchdog has banned British American Tobacco (BAT) from promoting e-cigarettes on public Instagram pages, including through the use of influencer marketing. In a landmark ruling, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) stated that the tobacco giant had breached regulations on promoting unlicensed, nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. Read more: Peloton’s ‘sexist’ advert was so bad it sent [...]
FTSE 100 edges up as Europe rises on trade deal hopes November 27, 2019 The FTSE 100 climbed half a per cent this morning as European stocks rose on hopes of a US-China trade deal. London’s blue-chip index was up 0.49 per cent by 10.30am to 7,438 points with traders also awaiting a closely-watched election poll that is due to be published tonight. Read more: Boris Johnson promises sensible [...]
Up in smoke: Is it time to stub out your exposure to tobacco stocks? June 25, 2019 “Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere.” That was how one advert tried to sell cigarettes back in the 1960s. More than half a century later, the glamorous, seductive veneer of the cigarette industry has gone up in smoke. Gone is the attractive packaging, which has been replaced by ugly images of tarred [...]
Analysis: Can oil prices recover from the coronavirus crash? April 20, 2020 Global oil prices plunged again today amid heightened fears that some producers might have to stop pumping due to the rapid filling of the world’s storage facilities. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, is in freefall, dropping 40 per cent today alone, whilst Brent crude fell over seven per cent. The collapse in prices, coupled [...]
Juul raises $325m to fund global expansion of e-cigarette range August 19, 2019 E-cigarette giant Juul has raised $325m (£268m) in an equity and debt offering as it looks to fast track its global expansion amid regulatory pressure in the US. Read more: British American Tobacco boosted by vaping sales Juul did not specify the ratio of equity to debt in the deal, but a source familiar with [...]
US vaping deaths hit growth at Imperial Brands September 26, 2019 Imperial Brands warned this morning that it will fall short of expected growth in its vaping business after several deaths in the US were linked to e-cigarettes. The company said that events in recent weeks has caused a “marked slowdown” in growth of its vaping sector. There is no suggestion Imperial’s products caused the deaths. [...]
FTSE 100 surges after UK election result and trade deal ease uncertainty December 16, 2019 The FTSE 100 has soared after the Conservatives’ election victory and a phase one US-China trade deal helped ease long term uncertainties that have consistently weighed on markets. UK stocks rallied again today after making substantial gains on Friday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 rising as much as 2.57 per cent by mid-afternoon to 7,542.46 [...]
Big tobacco: Philip Morris and Altria start talks over $210bn mega-merger as Marlboro-makers seek to light up alternative products August 27, 2019 One of the world’s most hotly anticipated mega-mergers kicked off yesterday as tobacco giants Philip Morris International (PMI) and Altria said they were in talks to form a $210bn (£170bn) behemoth. The deal would reunite two companies that split up in 2008 amid regulatory pressures at the time. Read more: Juul raises $325m to fund [...]
Up in smoke: San Francisco becomes first US city to ban sales of e-cigarettes June 26, 2019 San Francisco is set to impose a blanket ban on e-cigarettes sales, becoming the first major US city to clamp down on the increasingly popular vaping alternative to smoking. A board of supervisors voted unanimously last night to ban the sale of distributions of e-cigarettes in the Californian city, which is home to some of [...]