Unilever beats analyst expectations but food spin-off costs up to €500m April 30, 2026 Unilever beat analyst expectations to record nearly three per cent volume growth, despite a €500m hit from its food spin-off and falling revenue. The FTSE 100 consumer goods giant said it will face between €400m and €500m (up to £433m) of “stranded costs” after it offloaded its food brands – including Marmite and Hellman’s – [...]
Whitbread to cut nearly 4,000 jobs in £2bn cost saving plan April 30, 2026 Whitbread is to slash nearly 4,000 jobs as part of plans to offload restaurants and sell off the freehold rights to its hotels, in a bid to raise £2bn. Shares in the company slipped on Thursday after it announced the plans to raise £1.5bn by selling off the freehold rights to a raft of its [...]
Big Tech results: Alphabet soars as Meta meta sinks on spending plans April 30, 2026 The four largest AI players reported quarterly earnings simultaneously for the first time on Wednesday, delivering a broadly positive set of results that nonetheless triggered a sharp divergence in after-hours share price moves. Alphabet led the pack, with Google’s parent company posting revenue of $109.9bn (£81.6bn) a 22 per cent rise on the same period [...]
Sabastian Sawe and the need for clean sporting heroes we can believe in April 30, 2026 Trust in performances like Sabastian Sawe’s at the London Marathon is the cornerstone of sport’s success, writes Ed Warner. The modern sports economy is anchored in belief: belief that the successes we celebrate are genuine, hard-earned, and comparable across eras. Without this belief records lose meaning, fans become disillusioned, sponsors turn tail and there is [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held as hawks warn of ‘highly uncertain’ energy prices April 30, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has today decided to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a hawkish display. In last month’s decision, the Bank held rates in a unanimous decision. Afterwards, short-term gilt yields, which reflect government borrowing costs, sharply rose as traders priced [...]
Diageo launches the new Scotch whisky Rare Series aimed at private clients April 30, 2026 Diageo has unveiled a new high-end whisky collection as it doubles down on its push into the global luxury spirits market. The drinks giant has introduced the Rare Series, a collection of Scotch whiskies aimed at private clients and collectors. The initial release includes five single malts drawn from distilleries across Scotland. The range features [...]
City law firms clamp down on the equity cookie jar April 30, 2026 Law firms are tightening access to equity partnerships to protect profits, increasingly reserving the equity pool for top performers, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. As the Big Four giants dominate the headlines with internal changes, the firms are seeking to regain control of their expanded equity pools amid profitability problems. These giants are looking to mirror what [...]
The Capitalist: US tipping and doggy bags infest London restaurants April 30, 2026 The scourge of US tipping culture, a Pitbull lookalike competition and the world's longest tiramisu; catch up on the latest London shenanigans.
Pension industry 1-0 Torsten Bell April 30, 2026 We should be grateful that the absurd idea of a government-imposed cap on rent died less than 24 hours after it first reared its head, but another madcap Treasury scheme took far longer to bite the dust. The government’s Pensions Schemes Act (which passed into law yesterday) contained plenty of sensible and interesting measures, including [...]
Twilight zone: Markets await ‘highly uncertain’ interest rates decision April 30, 2026 City analysts are eagerly anticipating a “highly uncertain” Bank of England decision on interest rates that could swing prices in either direction. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is widely expected to hold interest rates at its upcoming decision at 12pm on Thursday, though analysts have warned that a vote split and hawkish messaging around the [...]