Sky owner strikes £1.6bn ITV deal; easyJet shares hit four-year high after it agrees £5.5bn takeover ‘in principle’ – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsEngland’s victory against Mexico in the World Cup last night was a win for the UK’s high streets too – footfall was up 143.6% year-on-year between midnight and 6am, according to figures from the monitoring company MRI Software (although it worth noting that there was no World Cup match at that time last year).Footfall in market towns was up 175.5%, and in historic towns it was up 159.9%, it found. Jenni Matthews, a retail analyst at MRI, said:For the hospitality sector, this is exactly the kind of result they’ll have been hoping for. At a time when consumers remain selective about where they spend, the World Cup is proving to be a powerful footfall driver, creating a welcome boost for the night-time, and local economy.As England prepares for its next game, we expect these uplifts to gather momentum, especially as they enter the quarter finals. For retailers and operators, the game plan is clear: align staffing, promotions and trading hours with key matches to make the most of the increased footfall, longer dwell times and celebratory spending that major sporting moments can bring.The money and credit data continue to support the picture that consumers are willing to reduce their saving rate to smooth consumption. Replacement demand for vehicles also likely remains strong too. So, we think that car registrations will continue to rise slowly over the coming year.Demand for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles continues to support overall registration numbers. Battery-powered electric vehicle registrations rose by 35% year-over-year in June, up from a 34.2% gain in May, while hybrid vehicle registrations rose by 25.3%, after posting a 23.9% gain in May. Continue reading…