Editorial: Shocks happen – and our institutions weren’t ready for this one March 10, 2022 And Rishi Sunak thought the hard bit was over. Wearing the scars of a two-year fight against a global pandemic, he may have thought he’d have some respite to get the public finances in order in time for some pre-election giveaways. That increasingly looks a long prospect. It may feel glib to discuss such matters [...]
Most vulnerable could get third Covid jab from September June 30, 2021 The most vulnerable people could be offered a third Covid-19 jab from September, according to the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Pending final recommendations, millions of the most vulnerable will be given a booster vaccination in order that they maintain protection against the disease through the winter months. The [...]
FTSE 100’s winners and losers in 2022 December 19, 2022 The Christmas lull is setting in. Investors are bracing to turn off their screens and get away from the daily City grind. Trading volumes on the FTSE 100 are thinning. It’s also that time of year when financial journalists pick through the UK’s worst (and best) performing stocks over the past 12 months. Without further [...]
UK healthcare: three changes I’d be thankful for November 23, 2022 The festive season here in the UK has not quite begun, but within American businesses like ours it’s traditional at this time of year for people to reflect and celebrate Thanksgiving Day to give thanks for our health and happiness, for our friends and family. Like many people across the UK, one thing I’m incredibly [...]
Food shortage: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Lidl and Morrisons warn salad will not be on the menu for ‘a few weeks’ March 1, 2023 Brits are being advised to avoid salads for the next “few weeks” as supermarkets have kept restrictions in place on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. Reports of adverse weather conditions in the Mediterranean has forced Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Lidl into restricting the sale of produce. This comes after social media users took to [...]
In Defence of Capitalism: Why free markets can keep driving billions out of hunger and poverty March 1, 2023 In the first of an eight part series, the historian and sociologist Dr Rainer Zitelmann writes for City A.M. in defence of capitalism, arguing that freer markets are usually the answer to society’s problems, not the cause. Each week he will ‘myth-bust’ the common complaints about capitalism – and this week, it’s that capitalism is [...]
London notches best year for floats since 2007 January 11, 2022 A wave of listings flooded London markets last year as private firms pushed to capitalise on strong investor demand, reveals new figures published today. Some 121 businesses floated in the City in 2021, the highest volume since 2007, according to research carried out by consultancy EY. Newly listed firms raised over £16bn in the capital [...]
UK Covid vaccine race: Wales in the lead, followed by England and Scotland while NI falls behind June 25, 2021 Close to 32m second doses of Covid-19 vaccine have now been delivered in the UK, as of 23 June, meaning the equivalent of roughly 61 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated. Some 43.5m first doses have also been delivered, the equivalent of almost 83 per cent of people aged 18 and over. Nevertheless, the [...]
Hefty £1.5bn trading error legal charge erodes Barclays profits July 28, 2022 A £1.5bn legal charge for a trading error has eroded British bank Barclays’s profits, it announced today. Hefty litigation and regulatory costs to deal with selling too many financial products dealt a major blow to Barclays’s first half earnings. Pre-tax profits dropped by a quarter to £3.7bn in the six months to June, down from [...]
Chinese government extremely nervous as Omicron lands in Beijing with Winter Olympic Games only weeks away January 16, 2022 The Chinese government confirmed this morning its first local Omicron infection in the country’s capital Beijing, according to state media, weeks before the Winter Olympic Games are due to start. The infected person lives and works in the city’s north-western district of Haidian and had no travel history outside of Beijing for the past two [...]