Wood Group shares jump despite fall in half-year profit August 18, 2020 Shares in oil services company Wood Group jumped more than nine per cent today as the market cheered its cost cutting and positive full-year projections. Wood Group said profit in the six months to 30 June fell 20.6 per cent as the coronavirus-driven oil price crash hit its global energy clients. Adjusted earnings fell 20.6 [...]
Why investors should pay attention to sugar August 14, 2020 Government action to promote healthy eating, especially in light of the spread of Covid-19, and ongoing changes in consumer tastes will continue to create headwinds for the food and beverage industry, and increasingly for food retailers and hospitality companies too. We’ve known for decades that obesity puts people at greater risk of serious and life-threatening [...]
Ofgem to slash energy price cap by £84 for 15m households in October August 7, 2020 The energy price cap is set to fall to its lowest level so far due to coronavirus, saving around 15m customers £84 on their bills. Energy regulator Ofgem will lower the price cap between October and March from £1,126 to £1,042. The price cap determines the highest companies can charge for the gas and electricity [...]
Crypto is becoming more mainstream July 28, 2020 I’ve always been fascinated by technology and problem solving from a young age. I got my first computer when I was six years old and at 12yrs, I got my first Mac as I was an ardent gamer and I became hooked on coding. My career began as a freelance indie games developer in Greece [...]
Green fingers: How cannabis can fuel a British agri-tech revolution July 17, 2020 Since time immemorial, the human race has slashed and burned its way through wilderness to fuel its rapacious growth. Food, medicine and building materials have required more and more deforestation, with the resultant decline in biodiversity and rise in the emission of greenhouse gases. Finally, comprehension is dawning about the impact of climate change and [...]
Time for an energy revolution? Creating opportunity after a crisis July 16, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic is a tragic event we hopefully will not see again in our lifetime. The human destruction and the strain on global healthcare systems have been devastating. There are no winners from this crisis. Still, it was Winston Churchill who said “never let a good crisis go to waste”. That certainly rings true [...]
Rishi Sunak Summer Statement: All the Chancellor’s spending pledges July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced a raft of measures in his Summer Statement in a bid to help the UK economy recover from the worst effects of coronavirus. The Treasury boss revealed massive public spending to bolster the UK economy in what people are calling his mini-Budget. While he did not extend the government’s furlough [...]
British Gas owner Centrica plans new digital-only energy brand June 22, 2020 British Gas owner Centrica will attempt to win back the hundreds of thousands of customers it has lost over the last few years by setting up a new low-cost challenger energy brand. Centrica has signed a deal with a low-cost software provider called Ensek to run the new digital-only supplier, which has not yet been [...]
UK inflation sinks to four-year low as coronavirus puts pressure on prices June 17, 2020 UK inflation fell to a four-year low in May, driven by falling fuel costs and cuts to clothing prices as coronavirus sucked demand from the global economy. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped to 0.5 per cent last month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, falling from 0.8 per cent in April. Read more: [...]
UK set for record two months of coal-free electricity June 9, 2020 As of midnight tonight, the UK will not have used coal-powered electricity for two months, the longest period of power generation without coal since the Industrial Revolution. On 8 April, the last of the UK’s four remaining coal power plants was switched off, with all electricity subsequently provided by a combination of gas and low-carbon [...]