London-listed defence contractors shed light on impact of wartime economy on City firms May 13, 2026 Two major London-listed defence companies shed fresh light on the sector’s performance during the current bout of geopolitical turmoil on Wednesday, offering insight into the reach of the war time economy into the City. FTSE 100 constituent Babcock International made it onto the top-tier share index’s leaderboard after it unveiled plans to return £200m to [...]
‘Dual squeeze’: FCA approvals for e-money licences plummet May 13, 2026 The number of successful applicants for e-money licences has plummeted in the last few years raising further questions over a slow down in market growth. Fresh figures – revealed in a Freedom of Information request by financial regulation consultancy Pathlight Associates – showed just 35 applicants were able to bag an electric money institution (EMI) [...]
Labour leadership turmoil to cost Reeves up to £12bn May 13, 2026 Labour’s political infighting could cost Chancellor Rachel Reeves up to £12bn, analysis by a Wall Street bank has suggested. Hot-tempered bond markets and stunted growth – a consequence of further political instability – would knock around £12bn off the Chancellor’s fiscal headroom, Goldman Sachs warned. While the £12bn hit to public finances would not erase [...]
Investing in space tech is the new frontier May 13, 2026 After SpaceX, more investors are looking to the stars. Maisie Grice talks to the co-founder of Seraphim Space Investment Trust about investing’s final frontier Twelve years ago, investing in space technology was perceived as science fiction, but Mark Boggett saw an opportunity. While some investment trusts had fund allocation to companies investing in the technology, [...]
Vistry shares plummet as housebuilder pauses buyback and warns on inflation May 13, 2026 Shares in leading housebuilder Vistry have plummeted on Wednesday’s market open, after it warned of a “significant” profit hit and said the Iran war is spiking building costs. The housebuilding firm was the biggest faller on the FTSE 250 as its share price fell 11.5 per cent to 288p, leaving the stock down more than [...]
Man City Women’s MD on Bunny Shaw, WSL salaries and new £10m investment May 13, 2026 Manchester City Women’s managing director Charlotte O’Neill says contract talks with star striker Khadija Shaw are “ongoing” and insists WSL clubs can match world-leading salaries. Bunny Shaw, as the Jamaica international is better known, is out of contract at the newly-crowned WSL champions this summer and is wanted by rivals Chelsea. But O’Neill told City [...]
Babcock shares shrug off profit drop after £140m hit May 13, 2026 Defence giant Babcock took a £140m hit in the last financial year, which helped drag down the blue-chip firm’s profit growth. The FTSE 100 company recorded revenue of £5.3bn, marking 10 per cent growth compared to the previous financial year. It also announced another round of bumper returns with a £200m share buyback. It came [...]
‘Languishing share price’: CVS under pressure to turn around performance from activist investor May 13, 2026 One of the UK’s largest veterinary groups is facing increased pressure from an activist hedge fund to improve its performance after competition regulators concluded a probe into high prices in the sector. Canada-based Converium Capital, which holds a two per cent stake in the FTSE 250 group, threatened to rally shareholders to nominate directors to [...]
Intertek to bow to pressure on £10bn private equity takeover May 13, 2026 FTSE 100 giant Intertek is poised to accept a £10bn takeover offer from a Swedish private equity firm after months of uncertainty, in what would be a huge blow to the London Stock Exchange. The testing and quality assurance firm said on Wednesday morning that it “would be minded” to recommend the latest offer from [...]
Government urged to accelerate review of ‘disruptive’ EV sales targets May 13, 2026 A leading London-listed car dealership has called on the government to speed up its review of electric vehicle sales targets, which it said “disrupts” the car sales market. AIM-listed Vertu Motors has said the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate scheme is hitting its profits and “distorting” its volumes and margins. The scheme was brought in [...]