Earlier this week, the UK government announced that it would finally make a comprehensive review of the UK Gambling industry and in particular, the 2005 Gambling Act.

Gambling companies are expecting that the government may put restrictions on the amount a casino player can bet per spin on popular online slots such as Rainbow Riches. If this was to happen, it is likely that revenues of gambling companies, online casinos in particular, would decrease. Online slot games remain one of the most popular forms of gambling in the United Kingdom.

Ian Proctor, The UK Chairman of Flutter Entertainment which is the parent company of online gambling giants, Paddy Power and Sky Bet told the BBC that he thinks gambling rules do need to be updated for the digital age, he said:

“We take [problem gambling] incredibly seriously, but let’s also get this in a little bit of context.

“For millions of people every week, they enjoy a bet, it’s a leisure activity, it gives people a lot of pleasure. For some people it’s not, for a small minority. And we need to make gambling safer for those people.”

Whilst it is clear and obvious that the chairman of one of the biggest gambling companies in the world would prefer any new Gambling Act to not be too strict on online gambling, it is not a secret that a large portion of the UK population enjoys gambling. Therefore, it seems to be the case that the UK government needs to find a balance on rules surrounding UK gambling.

Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston stated that the review should strike a balance between individual freedom and protecting problem gamblers. Earlier this year, the former Labour MP Tom Watson who was one of parliaments loudest voices for gambling reform, joined Flutter entertainment as its advisor on problem gambling.

The gambling lobby within the UK remains strong so it is unlikely that any changes to gambling laws in the UK will affect the largest companies too drastically. On the other hand, The Guardian has called for the Gambling Review to be free of industry influence and political dithering.

Online Casinos in the United Kingdom

The online casino market in the UK is one of the largest in the world. Currently, any gambling operator that wishes to offer its services to the UK public, must receive a license to do so from the UK Gambling Commission.

The gambling industry in the UK has been regulated since the 2005 Gambling Act came into law. Regulating the industry ensures that online gambling in the country remains safe as the UKGC watchdog ensures that all operating casinos are trustworthy and fair. However, since 2005, the gambling in the UK has moved predominantly online which is why UK parliament and safe gambling bodies would like the Act to be updated so it fits the modern age of online gambling.

Slot games at online casinos remain popular for UK punters. Some online slots allow players to bet up to and beyond £200 per spin.

In May 2020, searches for the term ‘online casino’ reached an all-time high. The majority of searches were performed by casino players in Hull followed by Stoke-on-Trent and finally Bradford. HSBC UK stated that between January and April of this year, more than £16.5 million had been gambled on HSBC credit cards. Credit card gambling was given a blanket ban in April 2020.

Sports Betting

There are murmurs that the review will clamp down on sports betting advertisements on both the television and on the shirts of football teams. Currently, over 50% of Premier League football teams have a shirt sponsored by a betting company whilst all sports even broadcasted on the television in the UK will showcase numerous betting companies.

The huge popularity of the Premier League means that football betting is one of the largest gambling markets.

Gambling Revenues in 2021

Despite the news of the launch of a comprehensive UK gambling review, share prices of the largest gambling operators have remained stable. Politicians have discussed for several years now that they will look into the gambling industry, so a review is not a surprise.

The UK gambling industry also generated hundreds of millions of pounds per year to the UK treasury in the form of taxes. Unless taxes on gambling companies are raised, if gambling companies lose out on revenue then so will the treasury.

Throughout the years, a stereotypical perception is that workplace fashion has shied away from embracing modern-day trends. Of course, for a while, this was true. In prior years, designers have battled to find the balance between practicality and style, with workers seeking more fluid and less one-dimensional workplace attire. Since the 1950s, however, fashion has seemingly come to the forefront, particularly regarding workwear safety shoes. So, let’s take a look at how workplace trends have changed during the past few decades.

Finding the Balance Between Style and Substance

As touched on above, integrating much-needed workplace protection into stylish designs hasn’t always been available. That said, during the 21st century, increasing numbers of brands have successfully blended both substance and style, with safety toe shoes being a leading example of the crossover. Given that safety is important to those working in industry and service sectors, workers can now buy steel toe safety shoes that embrace on-trend designs. Since the late 1940s, engelbert strauss has catered to the demands of trades workers through their production of sporty, protected workplace attire, such as the e.s. S3 Safety boots Spes mid, some of the most comfortable safety shoes. Their product lines range from workwear safety shoes to winter jackets, and much more.

What Are Safety Shoes?

Fundamentally, safety toe shoes are work-orientated products that serve to protect employees from injury in the workplace. To date, many designs come with steel toe caps that safeguard the welfare of feet by minimising the risk of being harmed by on-site hazards, such as falling items. Moreover, many of the products also feature ESD technology. Essentially, this means that their best safety shoes include electrostatic discharge material, which reduces the chances of receiving an electric shock. 

What Are the Lightest Safety Shoes? 

Give the heavily-protected nature of industry-designed shoes, the lightest designs come in at under 500g. The e.s. S1 Safety shoes Tegmen II low, for example, weigh in at 460 grams. For those seeking a lighter work safety shoe, consider a pair with an aluminium cap. Interestingly, this is because they weight 40 grams less than steel alternatives.

The Last 70 Years Have Inspired Widespread Change 

Away from skilled-trades professions, workplace fashion as a whole has drastically changed since the late 20th century. In many ways, on-site trends now worn by industry and service workers are a microcosm of broader workplace styles. Similarly to on-site employees, those with an office-based occupation will also be sporting different looks in comparison to what was traditional 70 years ago. According to Business Insider, the reason for this is because style has become less formal since the 1950s. As such, this is why office workers can now wear casual uniforms, and on-site professionals can sport trendy workwear safety shoes.

Perhaps one reason for this more relaxed, stylish approach to workplace fashion across various industries relates to productivity. As per data from Hive, 61 per cent of employees were more efficient when working with a relaxed dress code. Furthermore, 80 per cent of workers employed in a company with a dress code didn’t find them at all beneficial.

What Does the Future Hold? 

If the coming decades enjoy similar levels of change to the last 70 years, then workplace fashion is likely to become even less formal. Regarding industry workers, the potential for more stylish, health-driven products to hit the market is significant, thus ensuring a heightened sense of individuality.

US stock futures traded slightly higher in early trading prior to the market opening, after closing lower the previous session.

US stock exchanges were closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. The CEO of AstraZeneca plc (NYSE: LON: AZN ) announced the probability that the pharmaceutical company will conduct a new global test of its coronavirus vaccine, this after preliminary results of its trial showed an efficacy of 62 percentage points for a complete dosing regimen.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 55 points to 29,883, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 6.25 points to 3,633.50. Likewise, the Nasdaq 100 index futures advanced 41.75 points to 12,194.

The United States is the country with the highest number of cases of infections and deaths from coronavirus in the world, having a total number of infections that exceeds 12,883,840 and approximately 263,450 deaths. India has confirmed around 9,309,780 cases, while Brazil’s record exceeds 6,204,220 cases.

Oil prices were mixed as Brent crude futures rallied 0.7% to trade at $ 48.11 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures lost 0.9% to trade at 45 , $ 31 per barrel.

The Energy Information Administration stated that crude oil inventories in the United States posted a decline of 0.754 million barrels in the week ending November 20, compared to an increase of 0.768 million in the previous period.

In the European markets segment there was a mainly upward trend today. The Spanish Ibex index improved its price by 0.2%, the STOXX Europe 600 on the other hand, fell 0.1%, the CAC 40 of France advanced 0.3%, the DAX 30 of Germany experienced a rebound of 0.2% and London’s FTSE 100 posted a 0.7% drop.

The French economy presented an expansion of 18.7% quarterly during the third quarter compared to an unprecedented fall of 13.8% during the previous period, while industrial production prices increased 0.1% in the month of October. Import prices in Germany decreased by 3.9% annually in October.

On the other hand, Asian markets were mixed in today’s session. The Nikkei 225 in Japan was trading 0.4% to the upside, while the Shanghai composite index improved by 1.14%, the index Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 0.28% and the BSE Sensex in India experienced a decline of 0.2%.

Australia’s S & P / ASX 200 lost 0.5%. The profits made by industrial companies in China saw an annual increase of 0.7% between the months of January to October.

Walt Disney Co (NYSE: NYSE: DIS ) declared plans to lay off 32,000 workers, more than the 28,000 it had announced in September.

Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: YMAB) announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its drug DANYELZA for the treatment of neuroblastoma.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: NASDAQ: AMZN ) confirmed its plan to provide more than $ 500 million in vacation pay to its front-line employees in the United States.
Finally, JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd (NYSE: JKS) agreed to sell its 50% stake in the Abu Dhabi power plant Sweihan.

SCWorx Corp. (NASDAQ: WORX) posted a 65.6% increase setting its share price at $ 2.07 each during the hours prior to the trading session after rising about 9% on Wednesday.

Apex Technology Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: APXT) rose 53.8% to $ 16.90 in pre-market trading. The company recently announced that it would acquire AvePoint, Microsoft’s largest cloud data management solutions provider (NASDAQ: MSFT ).

Shares of VG Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: VGAC) rose 28.3% to $ 12.70 in pre-market trading.

Shift Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFT) traded at $ 11.21, representing a 24.7% increase during pre-market after rising about 23% in trading on Wednesday. Earlier in the month, the company released its third-quarter results.

Shares of Tuniu Corporation (NASDAQ: TOUR) traded 23% higher at $ 4.34 pre-open after rising more than 24% in the previous session.

Genfit SA (NASDAQ: GNFT) posted a 20.2% gain to $ 5.90 before the market start.

Shares of RMG Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: RMG) rose 17.8% to $ 16.60 in the pre-market auction after rising more than 18% in Wednesday’s session.

Shares in Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) traded at $ 1.99 pre-market, up 17.1% after gaining more than 7% during trading on Wednesday. At the beginning of the month, the company made a profit in the last quarter.

Shares of Professional Diversity Network, Inc. (NASDAQ: IPDN) were 15.8% higher, trading at $ 1.54 before the market-opening bell after rising 6% during Wednesday’s session.

Synlogic, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYBX) increased 14.3% to $ 2.80 during the pre-open. The company reported earlier in the month that it had started a phase 1 study for the drug SYNB8802 for the treatment of enteric hyperoxaluria.

Shares of AMCI Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: AMCI) rose 14.2% to $ 12 in pre-market trading.

Tuscan Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: THCB) posted a 12.5% ​​improvement to $ 12.91 before the stock market start. During the first days of this month, the company announced its intention to merge with Microvast.

Shares of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) traded 11.8% higher at $ 5.30 in the pre-market session after gaining 5% during Wednesday’s session.

Marin Software Incorporated (NASDAQ: MRIN) was up 11.7% to $ 2.39 in premarket trading after falling about 5% in trading on Wednesday.

Uxin Limited (NASDAQ: UXIN) advanced 10.4% to $ 1.81 in pre-market trading after gaining 17% on Wednesday.

IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: IZEA), for its part, rose 10% to $ 0.99 during the pre-opening auction.

These stocks were up more than 12% on Wednesday in light of the Salesforce-Slack acquisition talks.

Shares of Landcadia Holdings II, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCA) traded 9.2% higher at $ 19.38 in the pre-market session after gaining 8% during Wednesday’s session.

Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPCE) traded at $ 29.38 pre-market, up 8.5% after gaining more than 8% during trading on Wednesday.

Ideanomics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX) rose 8.1% to $ 2.93 during the pre-opening auction. The company recently raised its stake in electronic tractor firm Solectrac through a follow-up investment of $ 1.3 million.

Shares of Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. IV (NASDAQ: HCAC) rose 6.7% to trade at $ 12.30 in pre-market trading.

GigCapital3, Inc. (NYSE: GIK) presented a rise in price, positioning at $ 12 per share during the pre-open, indicating an improvement of 8.6%.

Marathon Patent Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA) lost 19.5% to $ 4.12 in the pre-market session Two Point One, LLC recently disclosed an active 5.7% stake in Marathon Patent Group.

Bit Digital Inc (NASDAQ: BTBT) fell 17.1% to $ 6.03 in pre-market trading after rising more than 15% on Wednesday.

Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) slipped 17% to trade at $ 5.88 in pre-market trading amid falling Bitcoin prices .

Yunji Inc. (NASDAQ: YJ) traded at $ 4.09 pre-market hours, down 17% after reporting third-quarter results.

Newborn Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: NBAC) was trading at a discount of 16.9% to settle at $ 18.51 before the opening bell after rising 86% in Wednesday’s session. Nuvve, which works with vehicle loads directly to the network, goes public through a merger with Newborn.

Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYES) fell 16.3% to settle at $ 0.9122 in pre-market trading after a 25% gain during trading on Wednesday.

Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: COCP) traded 12.9% lower to $ 1.49 before trading after rising more than 31% in Wednesday’s session.

Shares of ZK International Group Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: ZKIN) were down 10.5% to $ 2.04 in the session prior to the stock market opening. This name had a 30% increase on Wednesday after xSigma, a subsidiary of the company, launched a blockchain protocol for decentralized finance.

Fuel Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTEK) was down 9.1% to $ 4.91 in pre-market trading and after falling more than 10% on Wednesday.

Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN) was trading down 9% to $ 5.80 in pre-market trading. The company is expected to report the results obtained in the third quarter by November 30.

Acasti Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: ACST) lost 6.7% to settle at $ 0.25 pre-market after taking a big gain of around 18% on Wednesday.

Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (NYSE: NAK) posted a 6.6% decline settling at $ 0.3739 before market start.

The price of these shares fell 50% during the day on Wednesday after the United States Army Corps of Engineers informed Pebble Limited Partnership, owned by the company that its application for permits under the Water Law Clean and other federal statutes had been denied.

Kaixin Auto Holdings (NASDAQ: KXIN) traded at a 6.5% discount to settle at $ 7 in the pre-market session.

CIIG Merger Corp. (NASDAQ: CIIC) was down 5.6% to $ 24.50 in pre-market trading after falling more than 4% on Wednesday.

Shares of Slack Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: WORK) were down 5.2% to $ 38.57 before market start. These shares rose more than 37% on Wednesday after a report emerged stating that Salesforce (NYSE: CRM ) .com is in talks to acquire the company.

Short positions in Pharmamar rise after the lack of arrival of phase three of Aplidin and in line with the declines in value

Bets against Pharmamar rise to 1.13% of capital, according to the records of the National Securities Market Commission ( CNMV ). The largest bearish position is for Great Point with 0.62% of the shares and that of Point72 Asset Management rises to 0.51%.

The shorts are on the rise if one takes into account that Great Point went from 0.53% in July to 0.62% today when estimating new falls due to the lack of arrival of phase three of Aplidin and the appearance of vaccines against the Covid-19 .

For the moment, the price agrees with the bears since the value loses 20% in the month and more than 25% in the last two weeks, what it has gained in the last two months.

Bass specialists in the sector.Both firms are from the United States and are specialized in aggressively short positions on pharmaceutical sector stocks , both in classical companies and in biopharmaceuticals.

Behind Point72 is billionaire Steve Cohen and his family where he also manages the bets of his own employees.

For its part, Great Point also manages public or private capital with management, strategy and advisory services.

Pharmamar’s poor stock market performance is not only reflected in its bearish positions, but also in the vision of analysts who cover the Spanish ‘biotech’.

Just three months ago, the market consensus consulted by Bloomberg gave its full support to José María Fernández Sousa’s company with a vast majority of “buy” recommendations.

Now, the percentage of recommendations to “buy” and “hold” are the same as 40% and those to “sell” add up to 20%.

The collection of profits by investors has caused the market consensus target price to now offer the value a 34% revaluation potential by setting it at 123 euros and trading at 92 euros.

Vaccines impact Pharmamar.The ads for Pfizer and Moderna , now joined by those for Astrazeneca and Oxford , were a severe blow to the company’s stocks .

The early arrival of this remedy against Covid-19 , rather than an antiviral, causes investors to discount a lower penetration of Aplidin in the market.

From the company they insist that they were counting on the arrival of the vaccine and do not believe that they have great potential because they will be able to continue treating those already infected .

In this way, they give an example of influenza as a virus that needs a large number of drugs each year despite vaccination campaigns.

The market awaits the Aplidin.Despite this, investors are still waiting for the final communication of delivery of protocols to the health authorities for the implementation of phase three of Aplicov , the study of the effects of Aplidin against the coronavirus.

Finance.com announced that the company was waiting to include in the statistics the data of the latest expansion of patients and that the protocols and strategy were practically closed.

The estimates of Pharmamar happen, as also advanced finances.com , to obtain the fast approval of the American FDA and the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products ( AEMPS ). In addition, they contemplate entry into France and Italy .

Without great shocks for the price.The market now has little news about the company after knowing the results until September, which were the best in its history, earning 131 million euros, and confirming the stabilization of income and sales.

The Galician continues to announce license extensions for its oldest drug in the portfolio, Yondelis , and contemplates new markets for Zepzelca , in the hands of its partner in the United States Jazz Pharmaceutica l.

Furthermore, it is studying the application of both drugs against white tissue sarcomas and has detected a “promising” antitumor activity of Zepzcelca against the synovial subtype, indicating “high efficacy”, which will expand the cohort of patients .

If this study progresses, still in phase Ib-II, it could extend the agreement with Jazz to exceed the 1 billion revenue initially agreed for the Spanish company.

Sabadell entrusts Goldman Sachs with the search for a buyer for the British TSB

Spanish bank Sabadell (MC: SABE ) has given Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS ) a mandate to sell TSB, its deficit UK business, two sources told Reuters on Friday with knowledge of the situation.

One of the sources said that the process was already underway and that the US investment bank, which had already been hired by Sabadell in July to explore various strategic options, is now in charge of the sale of TSB, acquired by the Spanish bank. in 2015.

The news comes after Sabadell and its rival BBVA (MC: BBVA ) announced on Friday that they were canceling their merger negotiations.

Sabadell said in its statement without going into detail that it will now analyze “strategic alternatives” for its international assets, including TSB.

Both Sabadell and Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

The first source did not provide further details or the planned divestment schedule for TSB.

A second source familiar with the situation said that, apart from a direct divestment, there were “more options” on the table, including a possible segregation of this business.

“Selling TSB will be complicated, as Sabadell could be perceived as a forced seller, and now Sabadell seems too small to compete in the retail sector with the main banks in Spain,” said Spanish investment firm Alantra after breaking up negotiations with the BBVA.

Like other Spanish banks, Sabadell ventured abroad to improve and diversify its income, but the TSB purchase was marred from the outset by the British bank’s significant technological problems.

Before entering formal merger negotiations with BBVA in November, Sabadell was working on an efficiency plan both in Spain, with the reduction of 1,800 jobs, and in TSB.

Sabadell expects TSB to reach profitability threshold in 2021 after losing 84 million euros in the third quarter.

The most relevant news announced by the General State Budget Project in terms of investment and savings is its intention to raise the personal income tax (IRPF) by two points for work income of more than 300,000 euros and in three points for capital income of more than 200,000 euros.

In addition, it includes a reduction in deductions for private pension plans (going from a maximum of 8,000 euros to another of 2,000 euros per year) and an increase of one point of wealth tax, up to 3.5%, if they are exceeded the 10 million euros.

Unless parliamentary procedures are greatly accelerated, none of these measures will come into force in 2020 —to do so they should be approved before December 31—, explains Luis del Amo, technical secretary of the REAF of the General Council of Economists.

Although, for the moment, he adds, the announced fiscal changes are nothing more than a declaration of intent, yes “they can be understood as an invitation to make early decisions in the financial-fiscal field, which is not always correct.”

For Paula Satrústegui, wealth planning partner of Abante Asesores, the fiscal modifications included in the Budgets have been waiting for a long time – even more burdensome than those now presented – and affect a very small part of the savers and investors (income from work of more than 300,000 euros or more than 200,000 euros in capital).

In his opinion, there are no particularly relevant reasons to consider a patrimonial reorganization solely for tax criteria. Before making a decision of this type, “it is convenient to contextualize: what income will be obtained in 2020/2021, what liquidity needs will be covered, what price level is, for example, required in the real estate market; what goods can or cannot be donated to the children, and so on ”.

With these qualifications made, both experts agree that whoever repeatedly exceeds (not this year exceptionally) the 300,000 euros of earned income should, if it is in their power, advance to 2020 the collection of any possible bonus / bonus. You will save about 200 euros in taxes for every 10,000 euros of additional income.

Luis del Amo says that one does not always sell, for example, a house when you want, but “when you can.” In his opinion, for those who have in their hand to make high capital gains (more than 200,000 euros) it will be better to do so in 2020 than in 2021 (as long as the prices are the same).

For the consolation of those who cannot advance capital gains, Paula Satrústegui clarifies with numbers that the fiscal impact of the announced new taxation of savings is not excessive. He gives the example of the sale of a home with a capital gain of 300,000 euros in 2020 or 2021.

The difference in taxes between the two years is exactly 3,000 euros (1% of profits). This is so because in the Budgets the tax rates on savings are kept between 19% and 23% up to 200,000 euros (so in this example, 100,000 euros are taxed at 26%).

Both experts are clear that the contributions to pension plans that investors make this year will basically depend on their ability to save and the confidence and profitability provided by the plans they already have subscribed.

It is true, says Luis del Amo, that if possible it is advisable, for purely fiscal reasons, to speed up the contributions as much as possible. “A tax relief is achieved that can be almost 50% of what was contributed, which is not negligible,” he adds.

On whether it is more or less correct, in view of the announced changes, to rescue the plans in 2020 or 2021, for Paula Satrústegui this is not the question.

For two reasons: the first, because other variables such as the volume of income for one year or another must always be taken into account, the possibility or not of deducting the contributions made before 2006, the liquidity needs …

The second, because there are not many people with pension plans with more than 300,000 euros accumulated who could be affected by the increase in personal income tax.

If a person donates, for example, a property to a child, the first must pay income tax for the capital gains achieved (difference between the price of the donation and the purchase price).

No one will initially pay personal income tax if the same delivery is made but taking advantage of the succession agreements, by resorting to the so-called “capital gain”.

The “heir” will only be taxed on the capital gains that he actually obtains when he sells the property, although these will be calculated taking as the acquisition price the value established in the succession agreement (the higher the value, the less profit on the sale on which to pay taxes).

Although it is true that the Tax Agency and the General Directorate of Taxes do not share this opinion, it is also true that there is sufficient jurisprudence against this interpretation, especially of the Superior Court of Justice of Galicia.

The point is that the taxation of these operations called “inheritance advances” may change shortly. Not from the hand of the Budgets, but from the Draft Law on Prevention and Fight Against Tax Fraud, which has just started its parliamentary process.

It states that the acquirer of an asset, either through a contract or inheritance agreement, “will be subrogated at the value and acquisition date that said asset had in the deceased, provided that it is transmitted before the death of the latter”.

Or what is the same, that when you decide to sell it (if the person who gave it is still alive), you will pay capital gains (predictably higher) for the difference between the purchase price of the person who transferred the property to you (not as up to now, the in the succession agreement) and its sale price.