News

The Eurozone inflation figures for February have proven to be a “negative surprise” in the words of European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos. Released on the 2nd of March, they show that overall inflation rose to 5.8% in February, up from 5.1% the prior month. Most forecasts had pegged the level between 5.4…

In a joint statement by both companies on 2nd March 2022, Canadian airline company Westjet Group announced the acquisition of rival Sunwing Airlines for an undisclosed cost. This acquisition is the first major move for Westjet since private equity firm Onex acquired it for 3.5 billion USD in 2019. The deal is set to be…

Military spending may be entering a ‘new era’ according to German chancellor Olaf Scholz, following his announcement of Germany’s 100 billion EUR one-off injection into their military. Germany’s long term defence policy has also taken a turn with a boost on defence expenditure as a percentage of annual GDP now at 2%, up from 1.5%.…

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the 24th February 2022, one aspect of Anglo-Russian interaction which has been highlighted is the large holdings Russians have of British and especially London luxury property. This has inspired the moniker ‘Londongrad’ or ‘Moscow-on-Thames.’ On the 17th of February 2022, before the invasion, Priti Patel,…

In response to the invasion of Ukraine, major oil companies are panic pulling their interests out of Russia. Despite inevitable financial losses, BP, Shell, and other supermajors in the oil industry have joined the trend of corporate shunning. This may prove to be the catalyst for the accelerated decarbonisation of Europe. Europe is dependent on…

South Korea has recently been experiencing economic instability. The country is struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels, due to slowing global trade and suppressed employment within service sectors. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has significantly impacted Korean businesses through sanctions leading to payment delays and withdrawal from trading with Russia. The Bank of Korea has also…

For many Britons, Starbucks (SBUX) is just one of a few large coffee companies on the market. However, in many countries, it is the frontrunning, if not the only, coffeehouse chain. Moreover, in the UK, there are roughly 16 Starbucks locations for every one million people, whereas, in the US and Canada, the number is…

Mattel Inc.’s (MAT’s) stock price looks to have broken out of it 2021 trading pattern this month. On February 9th, the California-based multinational toy manufacturer reported impressive results for the 2021 fiscal fourth quarter, beating analyst earnings per share expectations of 0.33 USD by 66%. Not only this, but Mattel have recently announced a new…

Germany has updated their ambitions for a renewable energy transition, aiming to fulfil all electricity needs from renewable sources by 2035. This contrasts against their previously rather vague target of being fossil fuel-free “well before 2040”. There has been increasing pressure for European countries to move away from Russia supplied gas specifically, which has received…

Vacancy rates in UK commercial property are at an all-time high, with over 170,000 vacant properties. This is prevalent in both retail and office space, though not logistical and industrial property. In quarter 4 (Q4) of 2021 the retail vacancy rate, which is a strong indicator of overall high street health, was recorded at over…