Virgin Atlantic CEO takes 20 per cent pay cut on coronavirus fears March 4, 2020 Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss will take a 20 per cent pay cut between April and June as the world’s airlines continue to be battered by the coronavirus outbreak. The rest of the executive team have agreed to a 15 per cent decrease as the Sir Richard Branson-backed airline battles the slump in demand [...]
Watchdog bans face mask ads over coronavirus ‘scaremongering’ March 4, 2020 The advertising watchdog has launched a crackdown against two face mask manufacturers for using “scaremongering” to promote their products amid the coronavirus outbreak. Novads OU advertised its Oxybreath Pro mask on the Scottish Sun website, while Easy Shopping 4 Home used Amazon to promote its disposable face mask. The Oxybreath advert, which was littered with [...]
Coronavirus crash prompts record flood of fund outflows March 4, 2020 The market slump caused by increased fears over the coronavirus prompted a flood of outflows from equity funds last month. Investors had bought equity funds enthusiastically in the first three weeks of February, shrugging off concerns at the end of January. UK equity funds saw solid inflows of £1.2bn in the first three weeks. However [...]
Hostelworld shares fall as it warns of £3.5m coronavirus blow March 4, 2020 Hostelworld warned the coronavirus outbreak has hurt 2020 bookings today as the virus ravages the travel sector, after slashing its 2019 dividend to invest in expansion. The Covid-19 outbreak prompted Hostelworld to warn it will take a €3m (£2.6m) to €4m (£3.5m) hit to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) in the first [...]
Eurozone PMI: Growth hits six-month high but coronavirus casts a shadow March 4, 2020 Growth in the Eurozone’s private sector hit a six-month high in February, but the possibility of further disruption from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak loomed. IHS Markit’s composite Eurozone purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for February came in at 51.6, unchanged from an earlier flash reading. Any figure above 50 signals growth, while one under 50 indicates [...]
Coronavirus: Two more cases confirmed in Scotland as UK total hits 53 March 4, 2020 Two more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Scotland, the country’s health secretary Jeane Freeman has said, bringing the UK’s total number of cases to 53. Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Freeman said the total number of cases in Scotland was now three. She added that she could not confirm whether [...]
Federal Reserve slashes interest rates over coronavirus fears March 3, 2020 The US Federal Reserve has slashed interest rates by 50 basis points – 0.5 percentage points – in an emergency response to the economic risks of coronavirus. Fed chair Jay Powell said rate-setters had witnessed the “broader spread of the virus” and “come to the view that it is time for us to act in [...]
UK coronavirus cases surge to new total of 51 March 3, 2020 The number of UK coronavirus cases rocketed to 51 today, a climb of 12 new cases, the government revealed today. Health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the climb in parliament today after the UK recorded four more cases yesterday to take the total to 39. The government today outlined worst-case scenario measures if the UK coronavirus [...]
G7 ‘ready to act’ to minimise economic impact of coronavirus March 3, 2020 Finance ministers and central bank governors from the G7 nations have said they are “ready to act” to minimise the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, pledging to use “all appropriate policy tools” including fiscal measures. Following a conference call earlier today, the G7 issued a statement saying that action would be taken by each member [...]
FTSE 100 gains cool ahead of G7 coronavirus call March 3, 2020 The FTSE 100 index has risen for a second straight session this morning, as policymakers across the world indicated they would take measures to ease the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Britain’s blue-chip index rose as much as 2.21 per cent following the open, with traders taking their cue from a largely positive showing [...]