Lloyds and HSBC: What to expect in next week’s earnings February 19, 2021 This week Barclays and Natwest announced a return to dividend payments but laid bare the extent of the pandemic on earnings. Barclays reported a 30 per cent drop in pre-tax profit to £3.1bn for 2020, while Natwest reported a pre-tax loss of £351m for the year. Next week it will be Lloyds and HSBC’s turn [...]
Time Out boss: Tech giants have destroyed internet freedom February 19, 2021 The unbridled power of tech giants such as Google and Facebook has destroyed the concept of freedom on the internet, the chief executive of Time Out has said. In an interview with City A.M., Julio Bruno said that while tech companies had given us “a lot of good things”, they now exerted too much control [...]
Sterling climbs to 10-month high against the euro February 17, 2021 Sterling reached a 10-month high against the euro following encouraging data fromthe UK vaccination program. The UK has jabbed nearly 16m people in the Covid-19 vaccination rollout. The pound rose to €1.150, surpassing yesterday’s record valuation and making it the highest since April 2020. However it did lose ground to the US dollar today, down [...]
UK’s tech stocks outperform main market by 19 per cent February 17, 2021 Interest in technology stocks has piqued during the pandemic and are now outperforming their FTSE peers, according to exclusive data shared with City A.M. The FTSE techMARK 100, London’s technology index, rose seven per cent last year as the FTSE floundered and shed 12 points, research by Bowmore Asset Management shows. After what has essentially [...]
UK house prices grow at fastest pace since 2014 – but London property slumps February 17, 2021 UK house prices grew at the fastest pace in more than six years in December, but property price growth in London slowed, according to the latest official data. The average price of a house in the UK increased 8.5 per cent in the year to December, up from 7.1 per cent in the previous months, [...]
City Moves 17 February: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? February 17, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. This week we see movements across the financial sector, with the City of London Group, BNP Paribas and Gateley Capitus all welcoming fresh additions. BNP Paribas AM gets new deputy CEO BNP Paribas Asset Management appointed a [...]
Brexit gives us the chance to refit our financial regulation for the 21st century February 17, 2021 Britain’s departure from the European Union has created a unique opportunity to re-shape our regulatory framework for financial services; setting the sector up for continued success in the years to come and maintaining the UK’s position as a globally competitive financial centre. With Brexit complete – and many regulatory powers returning to the UK for [...]
Sadiq Khan to keep London rent control policy in election manifesto February 16, 2021 Sadiq Khan is set to keep his trademark rent control policy as a key part of his mayoral election manifesto, despite London’s plummeting rental prices. The mayor of London will double down on his call for central government to hand him powers to implement a cap on rents in London if he wins the May [...]
EU Brexit chief Maros Sefcovic says Northern Ireland issues to be fixed by 24 February February 16, 2021 European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic has told Irish lawmakers today that he wants Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit issues solved next week. Sefcovic, who is in charge of UK-EU relations for Brussels, said he wanted the border problems solved by the end of his meeting with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove on 24 February. He also [...]
City counts the cost of Brexit but eyes turn to new global opportunities February 16, 2021 As temperatures hit record lows in February, parts of London’s financial markets are feeling the cold as consequences of Brexit bed in. The much reported toppling of London as the continent’s top share-trading hub in January is a symbolic moment more than a significant economic shift, but it plays into a wider discussion about the [...]