US airline stocks buffeted by Warren’s surprise sell-off May 4, 2020 US airline stocks have dropped sharply today as markets reacted to veteran trader Warren Buffett’s decision to sell all of his firm’s stakes in the US’ four main carriers. At the end of last year, Berkshire Hathaway held considerable positions in the four, including 11 per cent of Delta, 10 per cent of American Airlines, [...]
Donald Trump claims to have seen evidence coronavirus started in Wuhan lab May 1, 2020 President Donald Trump has claimed to see evidence coronavirus originated in a Wuhan laboratory, and said the outbreak could have been contained “relatively easily” by China. At Thursday’s White House press briefing, the US President was asked if he had seen “anything that gives you a high degree of confidence” the Wuhan Institute of Virology [...]
Coronavirus: Dettol maker issues alert after Trump’s injection disinfectant comments April 24, 2020 Dettol and Lysol maker Reckitt Benckiser has issued advice telling people not to ingest its products “under any circumstances” after President Donald Trump suggested injecting disinfectants to treat coronavirus. Reckitt Benckiser said: “As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered [...]
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson ‘plans to return to work on Monday’ April 24, 2020 Boris Johnson is intent on returning to work as soon as Monday to continue tackling the coronavirus crisis, it is reported. Earlier this month, the Prime Minister was discharged from St Thomas’ Hospital following his own battle with coronavirus. He has since been recovering at Chequers, his countryside residence. But Johnson – who spent three [...]
Donald Trump calls for state aid to protect battered oil companies April 21, 2020 US president Donald Trump said this afternoon that he had asked the federal government to develop plans to protect domestic oil firms after extraordinary levels of volatility sent prices negative for the first time in history. On Twitter, the president wrote: “We will never let the great US Oil & Gas Industry down. “I have [...]
Richard Branson hits out as Virgin Australia goes into administration April 21, 2020 Billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson has hit out at the Australian government after low-cost airline Virgin Australia went into administration this morning. In an open letter, Branson, whose Virgin group owns 10 per cent of the airline, wrote: “In most countries federal governments have stepped in, in this unprecedented crisis for aviation, to help their [...]
Tesla to face shareholder lawsuit Elon Musk’s ‘funding secured’ tweet April 16, 2020 Tesla boss Elon Musk must face a shareholder lawsuit over a tweet in which he stated the company had secured funding for a go-private deal worth $72bn (£58bn), a judge has ruled. Shareholders have filed a suit alleging the billionaire founder attempted to defraud them with a 2018 tweet that read: “Am considering taking Tesla [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group cuts executive pay amid coronavirus crisis April 1, 2020 Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, formerly known as Sports Direct, has reportedly agreed to cut executive pay in order to continue to pay shop floor staff during the coronavirus crisis. Members of the retailer’s senior management team have agreed to reduce their basic pay to a maximum of £40,000 per year from May. The reduction will [...]
Trump calls for $2 trillion infrastructure spending amid coronavirus relief March 31, 2020 US President Donald Trump today called for a $2 trillion (£1.6 trillion) infrastructure spending package as part of the country’s upcoming coronavirus relief bill. Trump said the funds should be included in plans for a so-called Phase 4 stimulus package aimed at bolstering the economy during the pandemic. “With interest rates for the United States [...]
Trump signs largest financial stimulus package in US history March 28, 2020 US President Donald Trump has signed the largest financial stimulus package in US history, worth a total of $2tn (£1.7tn). The cross-party bill was passed by the House of Representatives as the country attempts to control the fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The number of US citizens filing for unemployment reached record highs on [...]