Yahoo Finance FTSE 100 Live 24 January: London blue-chips close higher, Nasdaq climbs as US bull run goes on, pound higher
Low-cost airline easyJet today revealed a £40 million hit from the Middle East crisis but still reduced losses to £126 million in the final quarter of the year.
Other companies reporting today included JD Wetherspoon while the funds manager Abrdn has announced it is planning to cut 500 jobs.
London’s top flight is higher after Wall Street’s S&P 500 index closed at a new record and streaming giant Netflix announced strong quarterly results.
FTSE 100 Live Wednesday
Pound rallies on robust UK PMI reading
EasyJet reveals Middle East impact
Abrdn confirms 500 job cuts
FTSE 100 closes up 0.6%
Wednesday 24 January 2024 16:38 , Daniel O'Boyle
The FTSE 100 closed back ahead of the 7500 mark, up 0.6% to 7,527.67.
London's top flight shrugged off fears that rate cuts may still be some way off, with miners leading the way amid stronger Chinese stimulus hopes. Antofagasta, Fresnillo, Anglo American and Endeavour Mining were all up more than 4%.
Rentokil was the biggest faller.
Rail passenger accessibility app secures £10 million funding
Wednesday 24 January 2024 16:07 , Daniel O'Boyle
The company behind rail passenger accessilibity app Passenger Assistance has secured £10 million funding to expand into the aviation sector.
The financing for Transreport has been led by Puma Private Equity with support from Pembroke VCT.
The app, nominated for an Apple Design Award, has been downloaded over 100,000 times. It allows passengers who need help to request assistance for pre-booked journeys in advance, as well as letting staff know their exact access requirements.
US growth at seven-month high in another 'soft landing' boost
Wednesday 24 January 2024 14:57 , Daniel O'Boyle
The US PMI reading for January came in well ahead of expectations, at 52.3, in the latest sign the world's biggest economy is in for a 'soft landing' from inflation.
It's the highest level in seven months.. The American manufacturing sector returned to growth, with manufacturing PMI at a 15-month high of 50.3. Any figure above 50 represents growth.
Service inflation also slowed, in a sign the growth wasn't accompanied by more price pressures, but manufacturing cost inflation picked up.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence said: “An encouraging start to the year is indicated for the US economy by the flash PMI data, with companies reporting a marked acceleration of growth alongside a sharp cooling of inflation pressures.
“Output measured across both goods and services rose in January at the fastest rate since last June, growth momentum having stepped up a gear on the back of improved demand conditions. New orders inflows have now picked up for three months, buoyed in particular by improving sales to domestic customers, helping lift business confidence about the year ahead to the most optimistic since May 2022.
"“With the survey indicating that supply delays have intensified while labor markets remain tight, cost pressures will need to be monitored closely in the coming months, but for now the survey send a clear and welcome message of resilient economic growth and sharply waning inflation.”
Red Sea crisis to hit fuel and fashion
Wednesday 24 January 2024 14:08 , Daniel O'Boyle
Patrick Lepperhoff, principal at INVERTO, says the ongoing Red Sea crisis will hit the fashion and petrochemicals sectors hardest.
Today's PMI figures suggest that the crisis is already starting to fuel an uptick in inflation.
He said: "The struggle at the moment is with the increase in costs rather than a lack of availability of shipping capacity but there are some exceptions.
"The petrochemicals industry is very reliant on the oil shipments that normally go through the Suez Canal.
"The fashion industry has a very high seasonality. Retailers should be receiving their summer clothing lines about now and delivery delays are causing them difficulties.
"Electronics, furniture and DIY goods will be impacted.
"A number of car manufacturers have already gone on the record explaining that they have already got through their stock of components.
"Wine deliveries from Australia and New Zealand will be impacted and some foodstuffs like coconut milk, exotic fruits and spices may face delays. Overall, a low percentage of UK food travels the impacted route, so there are no concerns over food security.
"However, the increase in oil & gas prices will have a knock-on impact for food manufacturers."
Eurostar trains to Amsterdam back on track for the summer
Wednesday 24 January 2024 14:05 , Daniel O'Boyle
Eurostar announced on Wednesday that it will continue to run trains to Amsterdam this summer after finding a solution to the part-closure of its terminus station in the Dutch capital.
It had been feared that Eurostar would have to suspend its 186mph service between St Pancras and Amsterdam for five to six months from June while Amsterdam Centraal station undergoes a major renovation.
But the cross-channel operator said trains will continue to operate to and from the station – though the frequency of direct services will be reduced from four to three a day, and London-bound passengers will have to change trains at Brussels.
London overseas tourist numbers grow to post-Covid peak
Wednesday 24 January 2024 13:16 , Daniel O'Boyle
The number of foreign tourists visiting London during the peak summer season grew to a new post-pandemic peak last but is still short of the record set in 2019, official figures show today.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 5.415 million people arrived in the capital from abroad during the July to September quarter.
That figure is up sharply on the 4.87 million in summer 2022 but still well short of the 6.122 million high point 2019 immediately before Covid struck.
Wall Street set for even more gains
Wednesday 24 January 2024 12:49 , Daniel O'Boyle
The strong run for US stocks is set to continue today, according to futures markets, with tech leading the way,.
Dow Jones futures are up 0.2% to 38,173.00 while S&P 500 futures are up 0.4% to 4,916.75. But the Nasdaq looks set to be the star performer, with futures up 0.8% to 17,662.25 following strong results from Netflix last night and European tech firms including ASML this morning.
Colombian billionaire joins Metro Bank board after leading rescue deal
Wednesday 24 January 2024 12:17 , Daniel O'Boyle
Colombian billionaire Jaime Gilinski Bacal has appointed himself to the board of Metro Bank after leading a rescue deal and winning control of the struggling UK lender.
Mr Gilinski Bacal will join the board as a non-executive director and will help oversee how the business is run.
The businessman took part in a rescue deal with the bank, which was in hot water over debts due to be refinanced and concerns over the strength of its finances.
Metro Bank said it had secured a funding package worth £925 million in October, which it said “proves there is a place” in towns and cities for its branches, which it calls “stores”.
Small businesses blast three-day-a-week Royal Mail plans
Wednesday 24 January 2024 11:55 , Daniel O'Boyle
Following news that Ofcom would allow Royal Mail to end Saturday post or allow deliveries to take place on alternate days, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Policy Chair Tina McKenzie said:
“Trading essential services for short-term savings is a slippery slope that may compromise the trust small businesses place in Royal Mail. Considering that 25 per cent of them rely on the postal service, these proposals could cause real disruption to our economy.
“They will not just impact the householder waiting for birthday cards or hospital appointments. Many have built their business operations around the postal service, from the cake seller who needs to send a last-minute topper to letterbox flower companies which rely on next-day deliveries.
“These sellers are in a routine and knowing they can deliver things quickly allows them to build a positive relationship with their customer. Similarly, it will also affect the customer who prefers to schedule deliveries on a Saturday when they will be home to sign for it."
Government cannot prove biomass sustainably sourced, says National Audit Office
Wednesday 24 January 2024 11:34 , Daniel O'Boyle
The Government cannot prove that biomass fuel is sustainably sourced and its assurance schemes are not good enough, a National Audit Office (NAO) report has found.
Ministers and their advisers at the Climate Change Committee (CCC) consider biomass to be a low-carbon source of energy if 70% of it is produced following a strict set of sustainability criteria.
Generators, the largest of which in the UK is Drax, must say where exactly the wood used for burning has come from and describe how that forest is managed.
String of central London's largest landowners toast solid Christmas performance
Wednesday 24 January 2024 10:47 , Daniel O'Boyle
A number of central London’s largest landowners, including Grosvenor and Cadogan, have cheered a strong Christmas performance on their huge estates, despite retail challenges.
Updates from the landlords, which also included the Howard de Walden Estate and the Crown Estate, came as the cost of living crisis weighs on many consumers.
Rob Kirk, head of retail and leisure at the Howard de Walden Estate, said footfall in Marylebone Village during December was up 46% and 8% from the same months in 2022 and 2019 respectively.
Mining rebound drives FTSE 100, Computacenter extends strong run
Wednesday 24 January 2024 10:13 , Graeme Evans
Computacenter, which helps corporate and public sector customers with their digital transformation, today rose another 16p to a near two-year high at 2886p after it reported a record profit performance in 2023.
The FTSE 250-listed firm also signalled it would return surplus cash to shareholders if no suitable acquisitions are available.
The company, which was founded in 1981 and joined the stock market in 1998, benefited from strong trading in Germany and North America amid a weaker UK performance.
With management confident of further progress in 2024, analysts at Jefferies believe the shares deserve to be at 3300p while counterparts at UBS have a target of 3200p.
Computacenter’s robust performance was put in the shade, however, as mining stocks jumped on hopes China will deliver additional stimulus for the world’s second largest economy.
Heavyweights Anglo American and Glencore rebounded 54.2p to 1843.8p and 9.1p to 414.25p respectively, while Endeavour Mining put back 6% or 82p to 1459p at the top of the FTSE 100 index.
London’s top flight rose 31.81 points to 7517.54 as European markets rallied even though PMI surveys showed further declines for the economies of France and Germany.
Hochschild Mining led the FTSE 250 after the Peru-based precious metals company reported production at the top of guidance, sending shares up 7% or 6.55p to 95.5p.
Egypt-focused gold miner Centamin also jumped 6% or 5.95p to 99p as London’s second tier gained 119.52 points to 19,112.14. Other risers included Royal Mail owner IDS, up 12.1p to 274p after Ofcom laid out options for reform of the universal postal service.
Elsewhere, Avon Protection continued its strong start to the year after an additional £11.2 million order of helmets from the US Defense Logistics Agency sent shares up 3% or 27.65p to 948.65p.
Late 2023 downturns looks to have been 'modest and temporary'
Wednesday 24 January 2024 10:11 , Daniel O'Boyle
Following the latest PMI figures, Matthew Ryan, Head of Market Strategy at global financial services firm Ebury, said: “It remains a toss-up as to whether next month’s GDP data will confirm that the UK economy officially entered into a technical recession in the fourth quarter of last year. But today’s data does, at least, suggest that the economy began 2024 on a strong footing, and that any downturn may be both modest and temporary.
“This economic resilience should, we believe, deter the Bank of England from signalling that lower rates are on the way any time soon.
“We think that the MPC will stay the course at its February meeting next week, reiterating that it remains too soon to even consider the timing of the first interest rate cut.
“These diminishing bets in favour of BoE policy easing are providing plenty of support for the pound, which is now back trading as the best performing major currency in the world so far in 2024.”
'Bank will probably continue to push back against rate cuts'
Wednesday 24 January 2024 09:55 , Daniel O'Boyle
Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital Economics, says the latest PMI figure show little sign of services inflation easing.
Webb said: "Price pressures remain high. The services output prices balance nudged down from 58.6 to 57.3. But that remains consistent with services CPI inflation easing only gradually from 6.4% in December to around 5.0% in about six months’ time. What’s more, the shipping disruptions in the Red Sea led to the steepest lengthening in suppliers’ delivery times since September 2022 and caused the input prices balance of the manufacturing PMI to rise from 47.5 to 53.5, to its highest level since March 2023.
"Overall, despite the economy stagnating, the stickiness of price pressures gives us a bit less confidence that services CPI inflation will return to its long-run average of 3.5% towards the end of this year. These data will add to the Bank of England’s unease about inflation persistence. As a result, the Bank will probably continue to push back against the prospect of near-term interest rate cuts next week."
Market snapshot: Pound rises on strong PMI reading
Wednesday 24 January 2024 09:53 , Daniel O'Boyle
The pound has risen further above the $1.27 mark, as the latest PMI reading has dampened rate-cut hopes.
Take a look at today's market snapshot.
'Promising start to the year' for UK economy
Wednesday 24 January 2024 09:35 , Daniel O'Boyle
The UK private sector is growing faster than expected, according to the latest PMI survey.
The S&P/CIPS ‘flash’ PMI for January came to 52.5, a seven-month high and ahead of the expected 52.1, and well ahead of the 50 mark, which separates growth from decline.
The dominant service sector recorded a PMI reading of 53.8. Manufacturing remained in decline, but the reading of 47.3 was a nine-month high.
Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said: “UK business activity growth accelerated for a third straight month in January, according to early PMI survey data, marking a promising start to the year. The survey data point to the economy growing at a quarterly rate of 0.2% after a flat fourth quarter, therefore skirting recession and showing signs of renewed momentum.”
Eurozone output decline slows despite French and German struggles
Wednesday 24 January 2024 09:11 , Daniel O'Boyle
Eurozone private sector output is still in decline, but at the slowest pace in the last six months, according to the S&P HCOB Flash Eurozone PMI.
The ‘flash’ PMI reading for January came to 47.9, very slightly below expectations and firmly in decline territory, but up from December’s 47.6.
Dr. Cyrus de la Rubia, Chief Economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank, said: ““The commencement of the year brings positive tidings for the Eurozone as manufacturing experiences a widespread easing of the downward trajectory witnessed in the past year. This positive shift is evident across key indicators such as output, employment, and new orders. Notably, the export sector plays a pivotal role in driving the improvement of the latter, showing better conditions compared to the end of the preceding year.
“In the ongoing discourse surrounding the optimal timing of rate cuts by the ECB, the PMI price indicators align with the sentiments of the hawks. They are all about shouting ‘hold your horses’ telling everyone to take it slow and not rush into early cuts.
“Companies have faced higher input prices and were able to pass them through to their customers. As a result, price increases are very much at odds with the recessionary environment. Thus, even as inflation remains an issue, rate increases by the ECB are out of the question at this point in time.”
It comes despite deepening declines in France and Germany, the currency union’s top two economies.
Wednesday 24 January 2024 09:07 , Simon Hunt
Shares in Revolution Bars plunged as much as 22% this morning after the hospitality group slashed its earnings guidance and paused all refurbishment spending in a bid to save cash.
The firm, which also operates 58 bars as well as a pub chain and a market hall, said January trade had begun “softly” despite strong demand at Christmas, while it warned a 14.8% increase in the NMW for 18 to 20 year olds would represent a major rise in costs for the business.
The firm said: “It remains clear that the younger guest to which this brand appeals continues to experience, disproportionately, the cost of living crisis pressurising their discretionary income, causing the Revolution brand to underperform.”
Revolution added it “cannot assume” the minimum wage increases “flows through to increased discretionary spend for our Revolution guests.”
Landsec reveals final office letting at Lucent scheme
Wednesday 24 January 2024 08:51 , Joanna Bourke
Property giant Landsec has said occupier demand for top West End space is competitive, after revealing it has let the final chunk of office space at its scheme behind the Piccadilly Lights.
Verition Fund Management will occupy the remaining third floor of offices at the Lucent scheme.
Read more HERE
French and German downturns deepening
Wednesday 24 January 2024 08:44 , Daniel O'Boyle
France and Germany’s economic declines are both deepening, according to closely watched surveys.
The S&P/HCOB flash Germany PMI figures for January showed both of the Eurozone’s largest economies remaining below the 50 mark that separates growth from decline, and declining at a faster pace than in December.
Germany’s reading came to 47.1, a three-month low, while for France the figure was 44.2, a four-month low.
Dr. Cyrus de la Rubia, chief economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank, said: "Germany has faced a sluggish start to the new year. Services activity has not only declined for the fourth consecutive month but has also accelerated in its downturn. Manufacturing, remaining in recessionary territory for the 19th straight month, has displayed a somewhat softened downturn, as reflected in the steadily rising PMI index since August of last year.”
De la Rubia added that the GDP ‘Nowcast’ model suggests Germany’s recession will continue into the first quarter of 2024.
Norman Liebke, economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank, said: “The French economy is kicking off 2024 on a slow note. The latest HCOB Flash PMIs show a depressing picture overall.
According to our nowcast model, which also takes the latest HCOB PMI figures into account, Europe's second-largest economy is likely to stagnate in the first quarter of 2024, but risks are to the downside.”
UK PMI figures will be published at 9:30 this morning.
Market snapshot: Strong start for London shares
Wednesday 24 January 2024 08:37 , Daniel O'Boyle
Take a look at today's market snapshot with the FTSE 100 and 250 are both up about half a percent.
Stronger miners lift FTSE 100, easyJet shares up 6%
Wednesday 24 January 2024 08:23 , Graeme Evans
Shares in easyJet have jumped 6% after its trading update, the increase of 29.3p taking the low-cost airline to its highest level in over a year at 537.4p.
Elsewhere in the FTSE 250 index, pub chain JD Wetherspoon rose half a penny to 841.5p after forecasting results in line with City expectations.
Royal Mail owner IDS also added 3.5p to 265.4p after regulator Ofcom said reform of the universal postal service was necessary.
London’s second-tier benchmark improved 87.94 points to 19,080.56, while the FTSE 100 index added 0.5% or 37.44 points to 7523.17.
Mining stocks dominated the risers board, with Anglo American up by 4% or 73p to 1862.6p and Glencore ahead by 2% or 8.65p to 413.8p.
The biggest faller was consumer healthcare business Haleon, which dropped 4.8p to 316.6p.
'Spoons fights back from Covid lockdowns
Wednesday 24 January 2024 08:11 , Simon English
Wetherspoon is back on the up post pandemic, opening two new pubs in London Heathrow and London Euston railway station.
That leaves it will 814 pubs in all. In the 25 weeks to January 21, sales were up 10.1% on a year ago – better than most rivals can offer.
Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said:"Wetherspoon, like the hospitality industry, has seen a consistent but slow recovery, following the pandemic. Although inflation is, in general, reducing, labour and energy costs are far higher than pre-pandemic. A main issue for the pub trade is that labour costs are around 30% of sales, compared to around 10% for supermarkets."
He added: The price of a pint in a supermarket is about £1, so a 10% increase in labour costs (which are around 10 pence per pint) necessitates a one pence increase in the selling price to cover costs. However, for pubs, the average selling price of a pint is around £4.50. The labour per pint is therefore around £1.35 (30% of £4.50), necessitating a 13.5 pence increase in the selling price to cover extra costs."
"The inevitable consequence is that increased labour costs raise the differential in prices between the hospitality industry and supermarkets. At the same time, pubs pay far higher VAT and business rates than supermarkets, further exacerbating the price disparity."
Zoo Digital in another profit warning amid slow rebound from Hollywood strikes
Wednesday 24 January 2024 08:00 , Daniel O'Boyle
Subtitling firm Zoo Digital has warned it’s “taking longer than expected” to get back to business as usual following last year’s Hollywood strikes, meaning its losses will be bigger than thought.
The business was hit hard by the strikes last year, as the lack of new films and television programmes meant less demand for its localisation services.
While the strikes have ended, Zoo says “it is now clear that the completion of entertainment products is taking longer than expected”.
The business ended 2023 with net cash of $8.9 million, and says it has unused debt facilities available to keep it liquid.
Shares have already tumbled by 70% since April, and are likely to fall further today.
Middle East strife hits easyJet
Wednesday 24 January 2024 07:39 , Simon English
Conflict in the Middle East sent easyJet plunging to a £126 million loss in the last quarter, but it remains optimistic for the rest of the year.
Passenger numbers are up and bookings for the summer arewell ahead on a year ago.
The company said: “The onset of conflict in the Middle East on 7 October had short term impacts from a pause in flights to Israel and Jordan (which currently remains in place) and a temporary slowdown in flight bookings for the wider industry. Demand and bookings have recovered strongly from late November. “
CEO Johan Lundgren added: “"We see positive booking momentum for summer 2024 with travel remaining a priority for consumers. Flight and holidays bookings took off strongly during the traditional busy turn ofyear sales period, as customers opted to secure their summer holidays to firm favourites like Spain and Portugal alongside destinations further afield like Greece and Turkey. “
Passenger revenues rose 16% to £1.1 billion compared to a year ago.
Lords Group Trading to benefit from rising demand for air source heat pumps
Wednesday 24 January 2024 07:35 , Joanna Bourke
Building supplies firm Lords Group Trading has reported a slip in like for like sales, but it is eyeing growth from an expected shift in demand towards air source heat pumps.
The firm, which has 48 stores, 15 of which are in London, saw total revenue last year improve 2.8% to £463 million, but comparable sales fell 1.2%.
But it said a transition towards renewable energy sources across the UK housing stock will increase demand for renewable products including air source heat pumps.
Lords said it is well placed to benefit from a shift in demand towards air source heat pumps, "with successful and growing trading relationships with six air source heat pump manufacturers and achieving 60% revenue growth across its wider renewables range last year".
Abrdn confirms 500 job cuts with more money pulled out of its funds
Wednesday 24 January 2024 07:22 , Daniel O'Boyle
Funds giant Abrdn has confirmed that it will cut 500 jobs, mostly in its struggling investment arm.
It comes as customers pulled another £12.4 billion out of Abrdn funds in the last six months of 2023. The business faced net outflows of more than £5 billion in the previous six months.
CEO Stephen Bird said: "Market conditions have remained challenging for our mix of business, and this is reflected in our year-end AUMA, flow numbers, and margins.
“The board and I are committed to taking these significant cost actions now to restore our core investments business to a more acceptable level of profitability.”
The news of the job cuts was first reported yesterday.
Netflix shares jump on earnings cheer, FTSE 100 seen higher
Wednesday 24 January 2024 07:20 , Graeme Evans
Netflix shares jumped 9% after last night’s closing bell as Wall Street reacted to the streaming giant’s best subscriber growth since early in the pandemic.
The rise of 12.8% to 260.3 million lifted fourth quarter revenues by 12.5% to $8.8 billion (£6.9 billion), with operating profit up to $1.5 billion (£1.2 billion).
Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Sophie Lund-Yates said: “The meaningful growth in subscriber numbers is partly a result of password sharing crackdowns, but is also testament to Netflix’s ability to keep us glued to screens.
“Full year-margin expectations have been upgraded thanks in part to the higher volume of Netflix fans joining the service, and that nugget of news is being celebrated the loudest.”
Before the release, the S&P 500 index edged higher to set a new record high while the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished slightly lower following a negative reaction to figures by industrial conglomerate 3M.
Yesterday’s boost from speculation of China stimulus measures continued as the Hang Seng index and the Shanghai Composite added another 1.8% today.
The FTSE 100 index closed broadly flat last night and is this morning expected by CMC Markets to open 24 points higher at 7509.
Rio Tinto: A number of our people in plane crash
Wednesday 24 January 2024 07:08 , Daniel O'Boyle
FTSE 100 mining company Rio Tinto today said an aeroplane carrying “a number of our people” has crashed in Canada’s Northwest Territories, resulting in fatalities.
Further details were not immediately available.
Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm said: "I would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who have been affected by this tragedy. As a company we are absolutely devastated by this news and offering our full support to our people and the community who are grieving today.
“We are working closely with authorities and will help in any way we can with their efforts to find out exactly what has happened.”
Recap: Yesterday's top stories
Wednesday 24 January 2024 06:42 , Simon Hunt
Good morning from the Standard City desk.
There have not been too many occasions in recent years when the ONS number crunchers have delivered economic data markedly better than City forecasts.
The £7.8 billion borrowed by the government in December was the lowest for the month since 2019, admittedly a pretty low bar to set given what has come since then. But it was well below the £11.4billion pencilled in by City scribblers.
Borrowing is now on course to undershoot the OBR’s projections by £5 billion in the current financial year, and much more next year. In the time honoured phrase, that gives the Chancellor “wiggle room” to deliver crowd pleasing tax cuts of up to £20 billion when he rises to his feet in the Commons on March 6, according to the commentators.
But let us not get too carried away.
There is a “glass half empty” way of looking at today’s numbers too. The state is still having to borrow more than £100 billion a year to keep the show on the road.
The now £2.69 trillion of debt, expressed as a proportion of economic output, rose another 1.9 percentage points to 97.7% in the year to December. That is the highest since the early 1960s.
Jeremy Hunt is obliged by the necessities of the political cycle to deliver the biggest vote winning package of tax cuts he can in March.
But long after the dust has settled on the election result later in the year he will be judged on whether he delivered a responsible and sustainable Budget in the long-term interests of the country.
Here's a summary of our other top stories from yesterday:
Southend Airport faces new crisis after it is issued with demand to repay £194 million loan by February 16 after “technical breach” of terms
Primark Christmas sales surge 7.3% with Rita Ora collection in strong demand
Housebuilder Crest Nicholson profits collapse after demand for nbew homes slumped
Mr Kipling and Bisto owner Premier Foods enjoys bumper increase in sales
Everyman Cinemas reports strong revenues and sales growth and says 2024 will l be a strong year with roseter of big releases including Wicked, Despicable Me 4, Paddington in Peru, Joker: Folie à Deux,and Dune: Part II
Merck Mecuriadis accused of “cherry picking” best songs when he sold portfolio to a listed fund in latest Hipgnosis row.
And...why it's a matter of time before the UK gets its own Bitcoin ETFs.
