Cut student loan repayments to get youths out of chicken shops August 19, 2026 Crippling student loan repayments have stolen billions from the economy sending struggling graduates to cheap food options and public transport, a consultancy firm has argued. Analysts at Baringa found that cutting the student loan repayment rate from nine per cent to five per cent would free up to £6bn in consumer spending each year for [...]
I drove 3,000 miles and saw the America AI is leaving behind August 19, 2026 Lewis Liu drove for nine days to get to his new home in Silicon Valley. On the journey he saw the America that risks being left behind.
Tracker funds are turning 50 – will they make it to 100? August 19, 2026 Vanguard launched its first ever tracker fund 50 years ago this month. Since then, they have had an enormous impact on the way our capital markets function – and now make up more than half all fund-held assets. Ali Lyon asks: will they be as popular when they turn 100? The 1976 launch of the [...]
American Express tees up golf’s St Andrews as it expands its sports portfolio August 19, 2026 American Express this morning announced a partnership with iconic golf course St Andrews as the credit card behemoth expanded its sports portfolio further. The St Andrews Links will now be inter a sports sponsorship umbrella with the likes of NFL, Formula 1, Wimbledon, and Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion. The deal will give [...]
House prices in wealthy London boroughs fall by up to £300,000 August 19, 2026 House prices in London’s most sought-after areas plummeted further in June, with the average price in some postcodes falling by nearly £300,000 year on year. London’s average house price slipped by 2.5 per cent to £554,000 in the year to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Though this was a softer fall [...]
Supermarkets ‘actively shielding’ shoppers as food inflation falls again August 19, 2026 Food inflation fell again in July to its lowest level in nearly five years, as retailers claim they are “actively shielding” consumers from worse price rises. The rate of food price inflation slipped to 1.3 per cent last month, down from 1.7 per cent in June, to reach the lowest point since September 2021. Industry [...]
Mbappe-backed brand set for London store in Harrods August 19, 2026 A firm which counts Kylian Mbappe as one of its shareholders will this week open a store at London shopping stalwart Harrods. German technology firm Loewe – which counts Mbappe’s family office as minority stakeholder – will have a space at the Brompton Road department store as the firm looks to expand its footprint. Chief [...]
Incoming FRC chair sits on board of construction group facing criminal probe August 19, 2026 The woman in line to become chair of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) sits on the board of a company currently under criminal investigation, City AM can reveal. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia was named by the government last month as the next chair of the accounting watchdog and is set to take over in September when [...]
Fishing retailer catches sales boost to defy summer drought August 19, 2026 The UK’s largest fishing shop has posted a surge in sales to defy fears that the record drought is impacting the country’s rivers and fisheries. Angling Direct, the UK’s leading seller of fishing equipment, said it has grown its market share and is on track to meet its profit targets despite the drought, which has [...]
Trainline and Virgin Atlantic face watchdog’s ‘drip pricing’ probe August 19, 2026 The UK’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into three companies over concerns that customers were not shown the total upfront price when buying train and coach tickets, holidays or driving lessons. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will probe the activities of Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School as part of a wider [...]