THE DAILY BRIEFING

FLYING HIGH West Sussex hub Gatwick Airport enjoyed its busiest ever December with a record 3.2m passengers travelling through the airport. In 2017, 45.6m used it, 5.2pc higher than a year earlier.

BOOK BATTLE The boss of bookseller Waterstones believes that competing with Amazon online is impossible. James Daunt said Amazon’s business meant Waterstones would stick to doing what it did best – selling books on the High Street. ROCK ON Investment titan Blackrock took in a record £269bn last year – meaning it looks after £4.6 trillion of savers’ assets. Profits climbed 18pc to £3.9bn. JUNK DEMAND Bailed-out Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena attracted strong demand for £667m high-risk bonds it issued to boost its finances. The fundraising was nearly three-and-a-half times oversubscribed despite being ultra-lowrated junk debt.

FIRM SACKED The South African arm of Coca-Cola has dumped consultant McKinsey over its involvement with the controversial Gupta family, which has been accused of corruption.

FIELDS OPEN Oil major BP has restarted production at its Bruce, Keith and Rhum fields in the North Sea. They were closed due to a crack in the Forties Pipeline System, which carries oil to the UK mainland, which has now been repaired. SHALE SUCCESS Fracking firm Cuadrilla has drilled a pilot well through its shale gas site in Preston New Road, Lancashire, and said the results were encouraging.

JOINING UP Ex-Screwfix boss Andrew Livingston, 49, will start as boss of Howdens Joinery Group, the kitchens supplier, on January 29, replacing founder Matthew Ingle, 63. VALUE BOOSTED Shares in Amazon soared above £948 ($1,300) for the first time. They climbed by 2pc, bumping up the company’s market valuation to more than £456bn.