HSBC shares sink as impairment charge triggers 29 per cent profit hit July 30, 2025 Europe’s biggest lender HSBC suffered a 29 per cent annual hit to profit in the second quarter of the year after a hefty impairment charge related to business in China. The FTSE 100 juggernaut posted a $6.3bn (£4.72bn) pre-tax profit, missing analyst expectations of $6.99bn. This came as the lender recorded a $2.1bn write-down for [...]
Wise shareholders overwhelmingly approve plans to ditch UK primary listing July 28, 2025 UK fintech Wise has curbed a potential shareholder revolt to seal the transferal of its primary listing to the US despite an investor backlash over additional terms within the proposal. More than 90 per cent of Class A shareholders and 84.6 per cent of Class B shareholders approved the deal, which will see the firm [...]
UK markets face ‘serious challenge’ in risk-averse investors July 28, 2025 UK stocks are being stung by national risk aversion with Brits “low emotional capacity for risk” triggering widespread under-investment. Nearly six in ten Brits were unwilling to face the prospect of short-term losses on investments, according to Fresh research from Oxford Risk found and the UK’s second largest platform for private investors, Interactive Investor. Over [...]
Euro weakens as markets rally following EU-US trade deal July 28, 2025 The euro fell against the dollar in early morning trading, as currency markets focused on the risks to the European economy from the EU-US trade deal despite a positive reaction from global stock markets. The currency was down 0.5 per cent against the dollar at $1.169, wiping away gains made last week after Trump’s “big [...]
European markets rally as Trump and EU ink trade deal July 28, 2025 Markets across Europe opened in the green on Monday morning after President Donald Trump sealed a trade deal with the EU after months of discussion. The Cac 40 in Paris was up over one per cent and Germany’s DAX and Amsterdam’s AEX nearly one per cent. In London, the FTSE 100 jumped over 0.4 per [...]
Wood Group likely to recommend takeover sparking delisting fears July 28, 2025 London-listed engineering and consulting firm Wood Group said it is likely to recommend a takeover by Middle Eastern-based privately owned company Sidara sparking another potential delisting from the London Stock Exchange. Wood said on Monday that Sidara, formerly known as Dar Al-Handasah, had expressed interest in acquiring the group with a 35p per share deal. [...]
UK retail sales bounce back as Brits enjoyed warmest June on record July 25, 2025 Sales for UK retailers rose last month as Britons enjoyed the warmest June on record, which helped drive sales of food and drink, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said overall retail sales volume rose by 0.9 per cent in June, following a 2.8 per cent fall in May, as consumers [...]
FCA urges UK insurers to improve motor insurance claim handling July 22, 2025 UK insurers have been urged to improve their claim handling skills after the UK’s financial watchdog found “concerning evidence” of poor practice in the motor insurance market. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said hikes in motor insurance premiums were down to how claims are handled by insurers, adding that “insufficient management information” was resulting in [...]
FCA softens remortgaging rules in dash for growth July 22, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is set to remove red tape on remortgaging in the latest sign public bodies are tearing up their rulebooks to align with the government’s growth agenda. In new measures introduced by the City regulator, mortgage holders will be able to reduce the terms of their borrowing and switch to new [...]
FTSE 100 giant ICG bulks up as demand for alternatives grows July 16, 2025 Global alternative asset manager Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) experienced a strong first quarter of its 2025 financial year, as investor appetite for private equity-style returns continued to grow. The London-listed firm raised $3.4bn (£2.5bn) in the three months to June 30. This was led by ICG’s Europe IX fund, which targets mid-caps across the region, [...]