Weekend Read: Ailing business investment will dampen the economy’s post-Covid prospects August 21, 2021 The good pandemic-related news continued to emerge last week. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics shows output jumped 4.8 per cent in the second quarter of this year, driven by the lifting of Covid restrictions on sectors that rely on face-to-face and social contact to generate income. The services industry – which accounts [...]
US markets shake off Delta variant jitters as investors seek to end volatile week on a high August 20, 2021 Wall Street shook off concerns that the rapidly spreading Delta variant of Covid could halt the global economic recovery from the crisis to end the week on a high. The blue-chip S&P 500 jumped 0.69 per cent to 4,436.26 points during early trading, while the Dow Jones added 0.5 per cent to 35,06776 points. The [...]
Interactive Investor prepares for initial public offering August 20, 2021 Interactive Investor (II), the online retail investment platform, is lining up bankers as it mulls an Initial Public Offering that could value it at £2bn. Britain’s second largest DIY investment fund this week invited investment banks to pitch for a role on a London floatation, a source told Sky News. Unlike many investment funds, II [...]
Happy investors: M&S shares jump after lifting full-year profit forecast August 20, 2021 British high street staple Marks & Spencer has lifted its profit guidance to around £350m for the year as its sales have begun to recover, inching towards its pre-pandemic recordings. The upbeat trading update seemingly left investors with a fresh bout of confidence in the retail heavyweight, as M&S shares jumped by 11.14 per [...]
Pound drops to fresh one-month low against the dollar August 20, 2021 Pound sterling sank to a new one-month low against the dollar today on concerns that the global economic recovery from the Covid crisis is grinding to a halt. The pound lost ground on the greenback, falling 0.19 per cent to $1.3913 during morning trading, a fresh one-month low. It hit an intra-day low of $1.3909. [...]
Profits more than double at OneSavings Bank August 20, 2021 OneSavings Bank’s profit surged in the first six months of the year driven by a sharp uptick in lending activity, according to results published today. The specialist lender posted a 123 per cent rise in pre-tax profits in the year to June 2021 to £221.9m, up from £99.3m in the same period last year. The [...]
Government borrowing smashes expectations but debt-to-GDP highest since 1960s August 20, 2021 Government borrowing smashed official forecasts last month as the deficit narrowed by nearly half its levels registered at the height of the Covid crisis, official figures released today reveal. Data released by the Office for National Statistics shows in July of this year, public sector borrowing reached £10.4bn, the second highest figure for the month [...]
Ackman of Pershings to relaunch SPAC as damage control from investor lawsuit August 20, 2021 In a letter to the shareholders of the largest SPAC to ever hit the market, billionaire fund manager Bill Ackman said on Thursday he will pursue a relaunch of Pershings, following a lawsuit filed this week by an investor. The lawsuit against Pershing Square Holdings (PSTH) was filed by former US Securities and Exchange (SEC) [...]
Savers predict double-digit investment returns: is that a danger sign? August 20, 2021 | City Talk Savers today are more optimistic than at any point in the past five years, expecting their future investment returns to average more than 11 per cent per year. They are more likely to invest further, and to check up on their investments more frequently – but most striking of all they expect higher future returns. [...]
Bidding war for Morrisons heats up as US private equity giant makes £7bn move August 20, 2021 A fresh £7bn bid for supermarket chain Morrisons has been put forward by US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). The deal has been unanimously accepted by the board of the grocer and directors have said shareholders should vote in favour of the takeover at a meeting due in early October. It means [...]