The UK Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) reported that last year pub beer sales fell 56% from 2019 to £7.8 billion, the lowest level since the 1920s, according to the UK media estimates. Such a sharp decline in sales was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the authorities' tough measures to combat it, including lengthy lockdowns and closures of catering outlets, stores, pubs, etc.  In the...

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the electronic exchange for high-tech companies NASDAQ yesterday filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The exchanges are unhappy with the SEC's named plans in December to impose new trading disclosure rules. The regulators want the exchanges to publish the...

According to calculations by Coface, an international group specializing in insurance and trade risk management, the number of bankruptcies in 2020 has decreased in most regions of the world despite the global crisis. Globally, the number of bankruptcies fell by 12%, in the eurozone by 22%, in Asia-Pacific by 19% and in North America by 3%. Such dynamics is explained by the governmental...

Bitcoin quotations on online exchanges soared by more than $5 thousand immediately after it became known that Elon Musk's Tesla invested in the cryptocurrency. The weighted average rate of Bitcoin, according to Coindesk, reached $44.8 thousand, which was a new all-time high for the digital currency. The electric car maker invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin last year and does not rule out that it...

International investors have reduced their investments in developed markets. Renewal of historical highs by US indices during the last months, as well as uncertainty with the next tranche of monetary stimulus, is forcing investors to choose more profitable directions, first of all developing countries. China, which is expected to improve its relations with the USA, remains a winner. The latest...

Nikkei 225, the main index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, reflecting the dynamics of stock prices of 225 leading companies in Japan, reached its highest level since August 1990. It rose to 29,351.54 points (+2%), according to the exchange website.  The maximum value of the Nikkei 225 at the beginning of trading on Feb. 8 was 29,397.57 points. The previous maximum of a key Japanese stock...

Global food prices rose 4.3 per cent in January from December 2020 levels, reaching the highest level since July 2014, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said. The organisation said the prices have been rising for the eighth consecutive month. The growth is primarily due to strong increases in price indices for sugar, cereals and vegetable oils, the FAO explained. Prices of meat and...

US pharmaceutical company Pfizer has published its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2020. Revenues in the fourth quarter were $11.7bn, up 12% year-on-year, and profits were $2.4bn, up 15%.  For the full year 2020, the company's revenue was up just 2% to $41.9bn and net profit was up 16% to $12.5bn compared to 2019. Pfizer has also given a forecast for the current year in...

European oil prices hit a new yearly high, comfortably above the $58 per barrel level. According to Reuters, European oil prices have surpassed $58 a barrel for the first time since the second decade of February 2020. Quotes for Russia's Urals reached $58.6 a barrel, while North Sea Brent rose to $58.3 a barrel.  The value of the nearest futures for Brent oil reached $58.05 per barrel. The...