Coronavirus dividend cuts produce £4.4bn hit to investor portfolios March 27, 2020 With more UK firms announcing coronavirus-fuelled dividend cuts this week, the total loss of investor income so far this year is now £4.4bn. The pace of dividend cuts is accelerating as coronavirus wreaks havoc on world economies. In March 116 companies have suspended their dividends totalling £4.2bn, according to investment fund AJ Bell. That compares [...]
Cryptoforhealth Twitter Scam exposes the benefits of cryptocurrency, not the flaws July 21, 2020 Bitcoin tends to get a bad wrap and has ever since its inception. It’s a useful headline for the media, doom mongers and legacy protectors that always have a go. The truth is that the scale of this activity in the cryptocurrency space pales in significance compared to the multi billion dollars scammed everyday from [...]
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, [...]
Toyota RAV4 Plug-in review: an expensive way to save money January 26, 2021 The Toyota RAV4 Plug-in is a part-electric, part-hybrid SUV with impressive fuel economy and emissions – but a high price tag.
The future of film: Big screen’s make or break moment August 9, 2021 As blockbuster season explodes into action and Cannes finally reconvenes, it may seem like business as usual for cinema. But peek behind the scenes and there are still huge challenges to overcome. Three CAs in the sector tell Christian Koch about the big screen’s make-or-break moment. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Hollywood and [...]
Experian warns of ‘weak’ UK and Europe business sales January 17, 2020 Credit scoring giant Experian posted a rise in revenue for the end of 2019 despite drops in the UK and Europe. Revenue grew seven per cent in the three months to the end of December, Experian revealed today as it stuck to guidance for its full-year results. While Experian’s North America and Latin America divisions [...]
Jeff Bezos launches climate change fund with $10bn donation February 17, 2020 Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos has revealed he will be committing $10bn to the cause of fighting climate change, with the launch of the Bezos Earth Fund. The billionaire said in an Instagram post the fund would be used to provide grants to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), scientists and activists — or “any effort [...]
Halfords hails Christmas bike sales as it sticks to profit target January 16, 2020 Strong Christmas bike sales helped Halfords stick to full-year profit guidance of between £50m and £55m today as it unveiled figures for the festive period. Group revenue rose 4.6 per cent in the 14 weeks to 3 January while like-for-like sales climbed 1.3 per cent as the repair shop reconfirmed its operating profit target. Cycling [...]
COVID-19 has now triggered 215 profit warnings April 3, 2020 The headline number tells you that we’ve recorded 215 COVID-19 related profit warnings in 2020, as of 9am 2 April 2020. Of those 215 COVID-19 related warnings, almost 190 have come in the last three weeks. That’s significantly higher than any quarter we’ve recorded in the last 21 years. It’s almost as many as we’ve counted [...]
Homebase named the UK’s worst retail website in rescue deal aftermath November 13, 2018 DIY retailer Homebase has been named the UK's worst online shopping website, alongside a plethora of other familiar names in a survey conducted by independent consumer body Which?. Homebase received a rating of 55 per cent as part of a survey with over 10,000 consumers evaluating their experiences online. Customers said they found the site [...]