NMC Health hires investment bank Moelis for debt restructuring March 1, 2020 NMC Health has hired investment bank Moelis to advise on a debt restructuring, in the latest turn of events for the embattled healthcare operator. Reuters reported that three sources familiar with the matter said NMC had hired the bank in relation to its ability to meet debt obligations. Last week the Financial Conduct Authority announced [...]
132 UK companies issue coronavirus warnings as FTSE 100 spirals February 28, 2020 More than 100 UK-listed companies have now warned the stock market of the effects of the coronavirus on their businesses, according to figures released today. British giants like Guinness brewer Diageo and British Airways owner International Airlines Group are just two of 132 companies to issue warnings to investors. In the last week alone, 62 [...]
Coronavirus: Global stocks spill $3 trillion as Covid-19 sends FTSE 100 staggering February 27, 2020 European stocks tumbled yet again today as fresh coronavirus concerns saw the FTSE 100 sink three per cent this afternoon as stock markets across the world dropped sharply. London’s blue-chip index plunged far below 7,000 points to 6,831.2 today after Australia’s Prime Minister warned the world is on the brink of a coronavirus pandemic. Cases [...]
StanChart lowers growth target over coronavirus and economic slowdown February 27, 2020 Standard Chartered has reported a 46 per cent jump in annual profit, but warned that operating income growth would be lower than expected this year due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic in key Asian markets. The figures StanChart’s statutory pre-tax profit jumped 46 per cent to $3.7bn (£2.9bn) in 2019, up from $2.6bn [...]
The government must recognise that the BBC is invaluable to ‘Brand Britain’ February 10, 2020 Perhaps it was always inevitable that an organisation defined by its impartiality would be surrounded by politics. The BBC’s licence fee is in the news once again as the government looks to culture secretary Nicky Morgan to review how the corporation should be funded once the current charter ends in 2027. At the heart of [...]
Prince Andrew’s name removed from Pitch@Palace website February 9, 2020 Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace initiative has launched a rebrand as it attempts to distance itself from the royal due to his connections to the Jeffery Epstein scandal. The Duke of York’s name has been removed from the initiative’s website, which has announced it will unveil its rebrand in spring. The refresh, which was first reported by [...]
Deloitte fined £1.8m and reprimanded over Comet administration failures January 30, 2020 Big Four accountancy firm Deloitte was today ordered to pay a fine and costs of £1.8m and “severely reprimanded” by regulators in connection with the administration of retailer Comet in 2012. Professional body the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said today that Deloitte failed to comply with its code of ethics [...]
Britain is back. Great. But where to next? January 27, 2020 The clash of ideologies personified by US President Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg dominated Davos and the coverage of this year’s World Economic Forum. Climate change was the main theme of the gathering and almost all of the public-facing events and speeches were dedicated to the cause. But alongside the forum’s preference for addressing these big-picture [...]
Climate change: Barclays shareholders call on bank to stop financing fossil fuel firms January 8, 2020 A group of Barclays shareholders have taken formal action against the bank, demanding it stops financing fossil fuel companies that are not aligned with the Paris Agreement’s climate change goals. A group of 11 institutional investors managing over £130bn of assets, coupled with over 100 individual investors have launched the shareholder resolution – thought to [...]
BoE: $5bn leaves Hong Kong funds amid protests December 17, 2019 Political unrest in Hong Kong has triggered traders to pull as much as $5bn (£3.8bn) of capital from the region since April, according to the Bank of England (BoE). The outflows account for nearly 1.25 per cent of Hong Kong’s GDP and began when protests broke out following the proposal of a controversial extradition bill [...]