China says Wuhan coronavirus death toll 50 per cent higher than previously reported April 17, 2020 The Chinese city Wuhan which was at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak today upped its official death toll from coronavirus by 50 per cent to 3,869, state TV reported. The city where the novel coronavirus first infected humans added another 1,290 victims on top of the 2,570 previously counted, which reflected delays, omissions and [...]
FCA pushes car finance firms to halt repossessions amid coronavirus April 17, 2020 The UK’s financial watchdog has proposed a freeze on car finance repayments, ruling out repossessions of vehicles during the coronavirus crisis. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) told car leasing firms today to offer three-month repayment pauses for customers in financial difficulty as a result of coronavirus. “We are very aware of the continued struggle people [...]
Coronavirus: The economy is in trouble, and there seems no plan to fix it April 17, 2020 As a rule, it is always helpful to question the usefulness of government plans—often as they are late, over-budget, over-promised and under-delivered. But when the alternative is an empty void and the government promising no light at all to what will be possible, never mind when, just an inkling of a suggestion that someone is [...]
Coronavirus: Could crisis be a tipping point for compliance and ‘RegTech’? April 17, 2020 We are living in unprecedented times. Due to the human disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a financial downturn is upon us. Against this difficult backdrop, it is my belief that ‘Regtech’, regulatory technology, is very well positioned to weather the storm. Regtech does what it says on the tin: it uses new technology, often [...]
Coronavirus: Wine dealers cheers return of confidence in China April 17, 2020 Sales of fine wine and spirits in China recovered quickly in March after a sharp contraction due to the coronavirus epidemic, a rare sign of optimism that confidence could return to the global economy sooner rather than later. Sales through global merchant BI Wine & Spirits were up by 25 per cent in March as [...]
Foxtons targets £22m equity raise amid London house prices blow April 17, 2020 Foxtons estate agent has proposed a major £22m share sale representing about 20 per cent of issued stock as it furloughs staff. The £22m equity raise will allow Foxtons to repay its revolving credit facility and to boost its liquidity in the face of the coronavirus shutdown. The share sale would bolster its cash balance [...]
China’s economy shrinks for first time in decades on coronavirus hit April 17, 2020 China’s economy shrank for the first time in nearly three decades of records in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic hit spending and production. Gross domestic product (GDP) fell 6.8 per cent in the quarter ended March compared to the same period the previous year, official data showed today, slightly larger than the 6.5 [...]
Coronavirus: EU vows to protect weakened firms from foreign takeovers April 17, 2020 The EU is set to protect its companies against foreign takeovers from firms taking advantage of the economic fallout from coronavirus. The bloc plans to allow governments to take large stakes in weak European companies, even owning them in some cases. The European Commission has decided to step in due to the unprecedented impact of [...]
Compassionate capitalism can underpin our coronavirus recovery April 17, 2020 This Covid-19 coronavirus crisis could all be over by autumn. Or by this time next year. We simply do not know. What we do know, however, is that we will need to think carefully and radically about how this country is going to recover from the devastation left behind by the coronavirus pandemic. This pandemic [...]
Demand for IT workers soars during coronavirus lockdown April 17, 2020 The number of advertised jobs in the IT and logistics sectors soared last month as businesses adapt to the coronavirus lockdown, new data has revealed. The logistics sector saw the biggest increase in available roles in March while demand for staff in IT and tech remained strong, according to figures from Totaljobs and the British [...]