Pound surges to strongest level since April last year as traders bet on further rate hikes July 14, 2023 The pound has surged to its strongest position in over a year over the past week as traders bet the Bank of England will have to hike rates further and faster than global counterparts. Since the beginning of the month, the pound has risen from below $1.27 to trade at over $1.31. The last time [...]
FTSE 100 close: London’s premier index creeps into the green ahead of crucial inflation print on Wednesday July 14, 2023 London’s premier index closed the week slightly in the green after a quiet day ahead of next week’s crucial inflation print. The FTSE 100 slipped out marginal gains to trade at 7,440.65 while the midcap FTSE 250 index dropped 0.2 per cent to 18,594.73. All eyes will be on UK inflation data next week. Inflation [...]
Shares in Liontrust and Ashmore fall as money managers grapple with ‘challenging economic environment’ July 14, 2023 Shares in FTSE-250 listed money managers Liontrust and Ashmore slumped on Friday morning after both reported fund outflows over the past three months. Liontrust saw net outflows of £1.6bn in the last quarter as it prepares to acquire GAM Holding. Its assets under management (AuM) stood at £29.5bn at June 30, a decrease of six [...]
Beneatha’s Place at the Young Vic, review: Canny direction, excellent acting July 13, 2023 Kwame Kwei-Armah’s play (which he also directs) Beneatha’s Place is a more straightforward proposition than its circuitous history might suggest. It’s the first UK staging of his 2013 work, which premiered in Baltimore and acts as an unofficial sequel to Lorraine Hansberry’s seminal 1959 play about the African American experience. You don’t really need to [...]
Royal Court writer on staging a play about mobile phone addiction July 13, 2023 We caught up with the creator of this new play, a dark comedy about mobile phone addiction and three generations of women in one family WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION FOR CUCKOO COME FROM? It started with being interested in things you’re allowed to say and talk about, about having opinions and people disagreeing. I also [...]
See Hugh Jackman before he was famous in 1990s musical now in cinemas July 13, 2023 A West End musical may be the furthest thing imaginable from a Hollywood superhero blockbuster, but the 1998 National Theatre revival of Oklahoma! has a special place in superhero history. It’s the production that gave star Hugh Jackman recognition outside of his native Australia, with the actor auditioning for Wolverine during the show’s run. The [...]
Squaring the Circle: the story behind iconic Pink Floyd and Wings album artwork July 13, 2023 An album cover may have a different context in the era of endless streaming, but the designs on the front of LPs could make you a legend in the 1960s, as this documentary from Anton Corbijn (Control) illustrates by documenting the story of design studio Hipgnosis. Squaring The Circle documents the rise and fall of [...]
‘They nailed it!’: Designers of Exchange Square by Liverpool Street Station awarded for ‘transforming’ area July 13, 2023 A new park located in Liverpool Street has won an architectural award for its efforts injecting fresh greenery and leisure space into the busy Square Mile. Exchange Square, which is situated at the back of Liverpool Street, was awarded ‘Building of the Year’ by the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects’ (WCCA) – with the masterminds [...]
Cash still king in the City compared to rest of London but amount withdrawn almost halves July 13, 2023 Westminster and the City remained London’s biggest centres for cash withdrawals but saw a near halving in the amount of cash withdrawn over the past four years. According to figures from LINK, which operates the interbank network, the amount of cash withdrawals from the City and Westminster fell to £55m in May 2023, 49 per [...]
How Balans, the best of the Soho restaurants, is getting even better July 13, 2023 Soho institution Balans, one of the best Soho restaurants, is finally realising how good it is – Adam Bloodworth meets the founder David Taylor is the sort of restaurateur who has no idea how good his restaurant is. You may not either: but Balans on Old Compton Street is open all night on Fridays and [...]