How the SpaceX IPO revealed a ‘back door’ into Britain’s capital markets June 29, 2026 The UK’s public offer platform regime was rolled out as part of a package of reforms designed to get capital flowing into British companies. Now SpaceX has used it to raise funding in the biggest IPO of all time – in New York. Maisie Grice asks whether the changes are working as intended. In January, [...]
Heatwave fans demand for aircon stocks June 26, 2026 Investors have been piling into air conditioning stocks as global heatwaves and the spread of data centres drive demand for cooling systems. Shares in global leading heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) firms have recorded sharp increases in recent months, with Tokyo-listed Daikin Industries up 23.91 per cent to 24,050.00 yen (£118.50) since the start [...]
FCA looks to check power of investment trust boards after Saba uproar June 26, 2026 The City watchdog is looking to restrict the power of some investment trust board members after criticism of its response to Saba Capital’s campaign against a group of UK funds. The Financial Conduct Authority has proposed a series of amendments to the UK listing rules for close-ended investment funds, better known as investment trusts, in [...]
Legal & General handles King’s staff pension schemes as monarch’s £13m tax bill revealed June 26, 2026 Legal & General handles the King’s staff pension schemes, official accounts have shown in disclosures of the monarch’s financial activities. In the first annual account of the King’s tax bill and sovereign activities, it was revealed that Charles III was among the top 100 taxpayers in the country. The accounts also uncovered details about his [...]
Babcock predicts global government defence spending spree after hit to profit June 22, 2026 Babcock said it had suffered a £140m financial hit due to delays in a contract with the Royal Navy but reiterated its financial targets for the next year, predicting high spending as global governments plough cash into defence. Profit before tax slumped to £267.2m from £339.4m in the prior year after problems with its Type [...]
Record number of central banks plan to increase gold holdings amid global volatility June 16, 2026 A record number of central banks are expected to increase their gold holdings over the next 12 months as global volatility continues to rock markets. Nearly 90 per cent of reserve managers anticipate central bank holdings to continue rising in the wake of the precious metal becoming the top reserve asset, overtaking US government treasuries, [...]
Asian stocks reach record highs on tech euphoria and US-Iran peace deal June 15, 2026 Stocks across Asia surged during Monday trading, as market euphoria from SpaceX’s IPO on Friday combined with relief over the US-Iran peace deal sent investors back into the stock market, pushing indexes to record highs. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rocketed over five per cent in the first 90 minutes of trading, surpassing the 69,000 mark to [...]
Pension funds must ’embrace’ private markets to fuel growth June 10, 2026 UK pension funds must stop hiding in public equity benchmarks and ‘embrace’ private markets in order to meet their obligations and accelerate economic growth, the group chief executive of one of the UK’s largest pension providers has argued. Andrew Evans, co-founder and group CEO of Smart Pension, urged providers to steer away from public markets [...]
‘We do not accept the FCA’s characterisation’: Neil Woodford firm responds to watchdog June 9, 2026 Former star fund manager Neil Woodford’s comeback venture has hit back at the UK financial watchdog, arguing it ‘does not accept’ the regulator’s characterisation of the business after the FCA launched civil proceedings. W Four Point Zero FZE, which trades as W4.0 and is registered in the United Arab Emirates, rebuffed the Financial Conduct Authority’s [...]
OpenAI files to go public as the race between tech giants heats up June 9, 2026 OpenAI has confirmed plans for an initial public offering as it looks to beat fellow artificial intelligence giant Anthropic to Wall Street. The artificial intelligence firm, led by chief executive Sam Altman, submitted paperwork to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for an IPO on Monday. OpenAI did not disclose the size or terms of [...]