2) Search for Britain’s ‘missing’ 50 billion, MPs claim: About three-quarters of the conventional not 71bn banknotes appear to be without accounts and MPs want the BoE to investigate.
3) The US government has filed a lawsuit on Facebook alleging recruitment of foreign workers: The allegations, the culmination of a two-year investigation into Facebook’s recruitment practice, could be confusing for the British in Silicon Valley.
4) Department stores try to save Christmas after a terrible year: Lockdowns around the world have ruined the fortunes of retailers who fear the epidemic will bind shopping habits.
5) The Prime Minister has promised a business tax overhaul to boost growth after Kovid: Johnson said the government would look at a “tax and regulatory environment” to turbocharge the UK’s economic recovery.
What happened overnight
ASian shares hit record highs on Thursday on the growing potential of the U.S. economic stimulus package, and is optimistic that the coronavirus vaccine rollout will boost investor sentiment following the global economy.
The broader MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares outside of Japan rose 0.78c6 pcs, topping the highs in the tech sector on November 25, while Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.22 pcs.
European stocks are mixed. Eurozone stock futures traded down 0.14pc and Britain’s FTSE futures rose 0.49pc.
In New York, the Wall Street Journal reported that Pfizer lowered its goal of rolling out its COVID-19 vaccine due to supply chain disruptions, then erased previous gains on the S&P 500.
However, the loss did not last long, with the S&P 500 futures gaining 0.23% in early Friday trading.
Coming today
Corporate: Berkeley (Interim results)
Economy: SMMT new car registration, construction PMI (UK); New production order (Germany); Farmless wages, unemployment, average income (Us)
