Socially distanced rush hour

Get straight to the good stuff every day with the Multiply Minute; a lightning-quick round-up of the money news and how it affects you.

Crowd control

As thousands of people return to work this morning, stations were braced to cope with the extra passengers boarding trains. Crowd control measures are in place to try and make sure everyone is able to keep their distance. More services are running, and there are limits on the number of people per train. Depending on how it goes, we might also see more radical steps like bookable time slots for when you can arrive at a station.

Struggle for school and uni leavers

Jobs may be hard to come by in the wake of the pandemic, and the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) says it’ll be toughest for younger people. Firms have reduced recruitment for entry-level roles by 23% this year, with apprentice and school leaver schemes the hardest hit. Top tip: health and pharmaceuticals was the only sector found to be increasing entry-level recruitment.

Smaller dividends

Investors are likely to see smaller dividends this year* as companies worldwide cut their payouts. Janus Henderson, the fund manager that compiles the global dividend index, says we’ll see a fall of at least 15% in 2020. That’s a drop of $213 billion (£176 billion). Companies tend to cut dividend payouts in lean times to protect profits and boost their financial resilience for the future.

Mini shopping spree

People took tentative steps into shops in the first week since lockdown was slightly eased, leading to a 3.3% increase in footfall last week. Historic towns and seaside destinations saw the best of the boost. But the week before last saw an 11.7% rise, despite lockdown restrictions still being in place.

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