FTSE 100 jumps as investors look past dire results to economies reopening April 28, 2020 The FTSE 100 closed at its highest in more than six weeks today as investor sentiment improved on hopes that European economies will soon start to reopen. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 1.9 per cent today to finish at 5,959 points, its highest point since early to mid-March. Traders have been buoyed by the [...]
Matalan suffers sales and profit drop in challenging retail environment January 20, 2020 Budget retailer Matalan suffered a drop in sales and profit at the end of last year as it fell victim to the challenges facing the UK high street. The clothing and homeware brand said total revenue dropped to £311.7m in the 13 weeks ended 30 November, from £315.6m the previous year, as consumer confidence and [...]
Goldman Sachs beats profit forecasts to defy coronavirus July 15, 2020 Goldman Sachs today revealed quarterly profit has smashed forecasts, driven by the strength of its core bond trading and underwriting businesses. The Wall Street bank earned as much in the second quarter of 2020 as it did a year earlier, seemingly defying the global pandemic. A strong showing in bond trading helped to offset a [...]
Naked Wines sales skyrocket as online orders boom during pandemic June 24, 2020 Revenue for the first two months of Naked Wines’ current financial year has soared, thanks to an increase in online orders for home delivery as Brits get through lockdown. Naked Wines said revenue in the two months to the end of May rose 81 per cent, but stopped short of providing full financial guidance due [...]
15 years that changed the world of journalism and audit September 7, 2020 The world was a very different place 15 Septembers ago. Tony Blair was settling into his final term as Prime Minister after winning Labour’s third consecutive election. England’s cricketers retained the Ashes after the most thrilling series in memory. Oasis topped the singles charts for the very last time. And in September 2005, the UK [...]
UK economy grew just 0.1 per cent before coronavirus lockdown April 9, 2020 The UK economy grew 0.1 per cent in the three months to February before the coronavirus lockdown hit businesses. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed the increase was entirely down to the services sector. The tiny rise, which is measured on a three-month rolling basis, was a slight improvement on the three months [...]
Thames have changed: CEOs going green will reap the benefits January 26, 2021 WHEN Paul Polman drank a glass of water drawn from the murky River Thames a decade ago the Dutchman could hardly have imagined how many of his peers would follow suit. Not by matching his dubious consumption, but by attempting to generate more from the companies they run than profit alone. Polman’s stunt took place in November [...]
London Tier 2: City leaders breathe ‘sigh of relief’ but push for return to the office November 26, 2020 City leaders have welcomed the announcement that London will be placed into Tier 2 when lockdown lifts, but warned that the capital will only fully recover when the government outlines a clear policy on returning to work. Health secretary Matt Hancock today said London will join regions such as Liverpool and Suffolk on “high” alert [...]
Will Europe’s smaller companies deliver big returns? January 7, 2021 European equities have been largely unloved by investors for some time, having lagged their global peers over the past decade: the MSCI Europe ex UK Index has grown by circa 6% pa whilst the MSCI World Index is up circa 11% pa. European smaller companies have fared markedly better than their large cap counterparts however, [...]
Boris Johnson sets out new Covid-19 alert levels for lockdown exit May 10, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled a new Covid-19 alert system that will measure the level of risk from the pandemic and determine the UK’s lockdown exit strategy. In a speech this evening Johnson said the Covid Alert Level will be determined primarily by the reproductive rate of the virus — known as R — [...]