Hot Off The Wires - 14th December 2020

News

• Supermarkets are stockpiling pasta, flour and tinned goods to boost supplies on shelves from 1 January, following Government ministers’ warnings that the chances of a no-deal outcome to Brexit trade talks are rising.

• Boris Johnson has approved the start of negotiations with EDF about funding a new £20bn nuclear power plant despite concerns that taxpayers would foot the bill for any extra costs.

• The UK government is planning to launch a permanent replacement for the £65bn Covid loans programme with new state-backed guarantees to support lending by banks.

• British investors have developed a burgeoning appetite for Bitcoin, with 38x more money in sterling now being exchanged for the cryptocurrency than this time last year, according to Kraken, a popular cryptocurrency exchange.

• A no-deal Brexit will cause “significant damage” to a manufacturing sector that has already suffered a 12% drop in output this year, an industry body has said.

Results

• AstraZeneca (AZN) - AstraZeneca to Acquire Alexion Pharmaceuticals

• Unilever (ULVR) - Climate Transition Action Plan

• Scottish Investment Trust (SCIN) - Final Results

• Capita (CPI) - Agreement to Sell Education Software Solutions

• Home REIT (HOME) - Acquisition Update

• Codemasters (CDM) - Withdrawal of Offer Recommendation

• OnTheMarket (OTMP) - Trading Update. In addition, further to the announcement made on 1 September, Jason Tebb has now joined the Company and the Board as CEO

• Everyman Media (EMAN) - Board Appointment

• Ergomed (ERGO) - Acquisition of MedSource

Trivia

Marble is a common name for which chemical compound?

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