The Times
Savers take fresh hit as NS&I cuts rates again: Twenty-five million savers with National Savings & Investments face a big fall in their incomes after the Treasury-controlled organisation said that it would cut interest rates, as well as reducing the number of premium bond prizes by nearly 300,000.
Top U.S. watchdog sues Volkswagen: Volkswagen’s legal troubles grew when the U.S. government’s top consumer watchdog filed a lawsuit against the carmaker over the emissions scandal.
Heat is rising on U.S. energy companies over climate change: Law enforcement officials in the United States said that they were exploring a joint investigation into whether the country’s big energy companies had lied about the risks of climate change to protect their profits.
Branson set for $500 million from airline deal: The board of Virgin America has given two prospective bidders until the end of this week to table formal takeover offers and it expects to thrash out a deal within the next fortnight.
Brexit fears send job vacancies into retreat: The recovery in the jobs market has begun to slow significantly because of uncertainty over the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union, a researcher has claimed.
Gulf carriers switch flights from London to Birmingham: The congestion and lack of available take-off and landing slots at Heathrow and Gatwick has prompted the big Gulf carriers, Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways, to divert traffic to Birmingham airport.
British pensions are proving to be the stuff of Chinese Legend: One of China’s largest investment companies is set to buy a stake in a specialist insurer of pension schemes for some of Britain’s biggest businesses.
The Independent
Saudi Arabia having ‘a very difficult time selling oil’ as Russia and Iraq compete for trade: Saudi Arabia is struggling to sell all of its oil despite increasing output to record levels.
Apple fight with FBI over unlocking terrorist’s iPhone should never have happened, company says: Apple has responded to the FBI dropping its long and often passionate case against the company, criticising the U.S. government for ever bringing the case.
Financial Times
Aviva’s top Executives receive bumper payouts: Aviva’s top management were awarded bumper payouts last year as the U.K. insurer sealed the £5.6 billion acquisition of rival Friends Life.
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Construction machinery sales upswing likely after long downturn: Global sales of construction equipment such as bulldozers, diggers and dump trucks are expected to expand in 2017 after five years of shrinkage, according to Off-Highway Research, a consulting firm.
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UniCredit in talks with Rome over €2 billion Vicenza capital raising: UniCredit, Italy’s largest bank by assets, is in talks with the government in Rome about seeking support for a €2 billion capital raising at mutual bank Popolare di Vicenza, a deal seen as a crucial test of investor confidence in Italy’s lenders, according to five people with direct knowledge of the matter.
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Sports Direct raises Findel stake to near 30%: Sports Direct has nearly doubled its stake in Findel, reopening the battle for control of the online and catalogue retailer just three months after failing to take a seat on the board.
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Dissenting EDF engineers urge delay to Hinkley nuclear project: Senior engineers at French utility EDF have called for at least a two year delay at the controversial Hinkley Point nuclear project in the U.K. and recommended a redesign of the reactor technology.
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Lex:
Novo Banco: escaping the past: Equity in its predecessor, Banco Espirito Santo, was wiped out. Creditors to that “bad bank” endured a deep haircut. Late last year, the Portuguese central bank even reassigned some bonds from good to bad bank, handing a sudden loss to the bondholders in question.
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Premier Foods/McCormick: pension spice mix: Is a U.S. tablespoon the same as a British one? Conversely, advisers to U.S. food group McCormick might well be scratching their heads over liabilities at Premier Foods, the heavily indebted food producer it is seeking to acquire.
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Music streaming: a trickle: Last week brought news that music streaming has overtaken digital downloads in revenue. In the U.S. market, streaming took just over $2.4 billion in 2015, from total sales of recorded music in all formats of $7 billion.
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Lombard:
Sugar tax sours AG Barr: Irn-Bru is made in Scotland from girders, according to the ads. From 2018 the fizzy drink will be subject to a sugar levy welded in Westminster from condescension and opportunism. The new tax will not do Irn-Bru maker AG Barr any good, despite the group’s talk of “mitigation”. It will have little benefit as a health measure, either.
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Nuclear options: Engineers love splashing cash on prestige projects that are tough to deliver on time, such as the Panama Canal and Channel tunnel. But there are doubts about Hinkley Point C even among engineers at EDF, the French state-controlled business entrusted with building the £18 billion nuclear plant.
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The Daily Telegraph
Dovish Yellen takes major gamble on inflation: Janet Yellen, the head of U.S. Federal Reserve, has vowed to move with extreme care before tightening monetary policy in the face of lingering global deflation and trouble in China.
Europe’s mobile deals will be ‘dead’ if regulators insist on keeping four networks per country: Cries that mobile mergers will push up bills and stifle competition made by watchdogs in Britain and Brussels “ignores the reality” of today‘s telecoms market, according to a critical report published .
Premier Foods told Nissin of U.S. bid interest ahead of share purchase: Premier Foods told Japan’s Nissin Foods it had received an approach from American suitor McCormick before any of its existing shareholders and before the noodle maker bought a 17.3% stake in the British food manufacturer, it has emerged.
Equistone cashes in on watch and jewellery finisher Coventya: Private equity group Equistone has sold off Coventya, the metal-work company that finishes Louis Vuitton and Prada watches, to a rival buyout firm, ending five years of Ownership.
Brick maker Forterra eyes £450 million float: Britain’s second-biggest brick manufacturer is planning a £450 million float on the stock market as its private equity Owner seeks to tap into the country’s house-building boom.
Telefonica Boss Cesar Alierta quits top job after 16 years: Telefonica’s Executive Chairman Cesar Alierta has announced his resignation after 16 years at the helm of the Spanish telecoms giant.
The Guardian
Tata Steel to sell off entire British business: Tata Steel is set to pull out of all its U.K. operations, including Port Talbot, in a move that could put thousands of jobs at risk.
Irn-Bru maker plays down financial impact of sugar tax: AG Barr, the Scottish soft drinks maker best known for Irn-Bru, has reiterated its annoyance at George Osborne’s sugar tax but says it expects little financial impact because it will change its recipes to adapt to the measure.
Financial sector confidence about U.K. economy drops sharply: Fears over the U.K.’s faltering economic outlook have been underlined by a survey showing a sharp drop in confidence among financial services firms, against the backdrop of the Chinese slowdown and the EU referendum.
Daily Mail
Put aside billions for next doomsday, watchdog warns banks amid fears over global economy: Banks have been ordered to set aside billions of pounds for the next financial crisis as a watchdog warned the global economy was fraught with risk.
Children’s books for adults sends independent bookstore chain Foyles back to profit: The popularity of a set of tongue-in-cheek Ladybird books and adult colouring books has helped Foyles return to profit.
Goldman Sachs banker quits in scandal engulfing Malaysia’s prime Minister: A Goldman Sachs banker has quit in a scandal engulfing Malaysia’s Prime Minister.
Daily Express
The Bank of England warns over potential credit crunch amid EU uncertainty: The Bank of England has warned over a potential credit crunch and urged lenders to bolster their balance sheets ahead of the EU referendum.
Osborne’s pension reform sees savers withdraw £6billion: Savers have withdrawn £6billion from their pension funds as they search for more lucrative returns.
Warning for savers: Premium Bond prizes to plunge as rates are slashed: The Premium Bonds odds are to soar as payouts plunge, amid a huge cull on returns offered on the most popular accounts from the Government’s savings provider.
Mortgage clampdown another blow for landlords amid fears property bubble could burst: Landlords are set for another market crackdown amid fears Britain’s property bubble could burst with devastating effects for the economy.
The Scottish Herald
Aberdeen-based Faroe underlines interest in North Sea acquisitions amid crude price plunge: Faroe Petroleum Chief Executive Graham Stewart has said the firm expects oil and gas prices to stay low for some while but is eyeing North Sea acquisitions at what he called an economically compelling time to invest.
Lanarkshire signs group targets strong growth despite challenges posed by supermarket wars: Merson Signs has been impacted by the fallout from the supermarket wars but expects to grow sales two thirds in the current year helped by winning work on public transport projects and an acquisition.
Lan Tu appointed strategy Director at Standard Life: Standard Life has appointed former American Express Executive Lan Tu as its strategy Director.
SSE builds on its track record in expanding U.K. rail sector with new division: Big six energy supplier SSE has signalled its intention to capitalise on the U.K.’s booming rail sector with the creation of a dedicated new business division for the industry.
Booming Scottish commercial property market attracts overseas investors: Scotland’s commercial property market has had a strong start to the year with the value of investment deals in the first quarter set to increase 33% on the same period last year, sector specialists reckon.
Optimism on economy falls amongst U.K. Chief financial officers, global survey finds: Two thirds of Chief financial officers in the U.K. are less optimistic about the country’s economy now compared with the end of last year, according to a new report.
The Scotsman
Apex group wins £29 million funding for English hotel expansion: Scottish hotel group Apex has secured a £29 million funding deal to support its expansion in the English market.
SpaceandPeople on track for growth after contract wins: SpaceandPeople, the Glasgow-based promotions and marketing firm, said it is already seeing the benefits of a major contract win with Network Rail.
Dunira Estate seeks new Owner to revive ‘lost’ garden: A historic Scottish estate is seeking a new Owner at a knocked down price but only on the condition that they restore its once magnificent garden.
Scottish firms increasingly favour Brexit: The proportion of business leaders in Scotland who believe British firms should stay in the European Union has fallen from last year, although the majority still favour remaining in the EU, according to a survey published.
City A.M.
Ikea poised to hand 7,300 staff a Living Wage pay hike this week: Ikea staff are in line for a pay rise on Friday after the Swedish home furnishings giant pledged to introduce the Living Wage for all of its workers in the U.K..
Bank of England sets out U.K. bank stress test scenario and reveals plans to raise the countercyclical buffer rate for British banks in 2017: British banks, building societies and investment firms will need to build up their cash piles under new rules revealed by the Bank of England.
I Squared buys Irish energy firm Viridian for €1 billion: U.S. private equity firm I Squared Capital (ISQ) has acquired Belfast-based energy firm Viridian in an all-cash deal.
Influential shareholder group PIRC calls into question Schlumberger’s ability to cover proposed dividend payout ahead of oil firm’s annual meeting: The influential shareholder group PIRC has called into question Schlumberger’s ability to cover a proposed dividend payout ahead of the oil firm’s annual meeting.
Aspers gambles on Southampton for fifth casino venue at Royal Pier Waterfront development: Casino group Aspers has been awarded a licence to open its fifth casino in Southampton’s proposed Royal Pier Waterfront development.
Seventh individual charged by Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in investigation into Alstom and alleged bribery: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has charged another person in its ongoing investigation into alleged bribes paid out in connection to Alstom Network U.K., bringing the total number of individuals charged to seven.
National Living Wage: One in three workers in wage hotspots will benefit when new rules come in on Friday but very few workers in London will see their pay rise: Around a third of workers in some parts of the country will see their pay packets boosted when the National Living Wage (NLW) comes into force on Friday but not many Londoners will be receiving a pay rise.
Brazil central government posts primary budget deficit: Brazil’s central government has posted a primary budget deficit of 25.1 billion reais (around £4. billion) in February, almost 12 billion reais (over £2 billion) higher than expected.
Coinkite drops bitcoin wallet to refocus on cryptocurrency hardware: Bitcoin startup Coinkite has announced it will phase out its popular online wallet system over the course of 30 days and its team will refocus on enterprise hardware products.
