What should investors do in H2? Diversify July 17, 2025 At a time of global uncertainty, diversifying your investments across regions and sectors remains the best way to protect your portfolio, says Liz Ann Sonders The year 2025 began on a note of buoyancy. Fresh off the back of the US Presidential election, equity markets were roaring, fuelled by optimism that deregulation and tax cuts [...]
Should politicians try to understand the people behind the polling? July 17, 2025 Trying to identify different types of voters is fun, but ultimately a futile exercise in reducing people to stereotypes, says John Oxley There was one question doing the rounds this week in Westminster – “Which one are you?”. It was raised by a new report from think tank More in Common, which set out to [...]
Does Rachel Reeves believe in capitalism? July 17, 2025 The Chancellor can’t do the biggest things she needs for growth because she can’t escape her own ideology, says Helen Thomas Spin only gets you so far in the business world. Action has to back up rhetoric or the game will be found out. This is the main difference between business and politics: the former [...]
The Bank of England is right: £25bn in assets isn’t that much for an SME lender July 17, 2025 Mid-tier banks have long faced regulatory hurdles that hinder growth, especially the minimum requirements once a lender’s assets reach £15-£25bn. Thankfully that’s about to change, but that should be just the start of reforms, says Nigel Terrington Each week, my commute to Paragon’s Solihull headquarters takes me past HS2 construction sites, bustling with heavy machinery [...]
Sticky inflation takes shine off Reeves’ week July 17, 2025 If the Chancellor was hoping to bask in the glow of supportive front-page coverage the morning after her Mansion House speech, she would have been disappointed. The spectacular revelations of Whitehall’s hushed-up cock-up over Afghan refugees knocked her off the top of the news agenda pretty much across the board. Only City AM gave her [...]
The Capitalist: slim pickings at Mansion House July 17, 2025 A slither of salmon at Mansion House, protein-packed ‘Super Plates’ at Pret and a self-appreciating AI. Catch up with all the latest gossip from the Square Mile with The Capitalist The Capitalist rubbed shoulders with the City’s great and good at Mansion House on Tuesday, where a decidedly upbeat Rachel Reeves told the assembled financiers [...]
Paragon Banking MD: ‘There’s a £500bn savings mountain sat in high street banks’ July 17, 2025 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Michael Helsby,managing director of strategic direction at Paragon Banking Group takes us through his career, and his reflections on the City, in Square Mile and Me What was your first job? I left school at 16 to become an apprentice Electrical [...]
From overcaution to opportunity: how to make risk work for Britain July 16, 2025 Britain is shifting from a culture of excessive risk aversion toward one that embraces calculated risk to drive investment, innovation, and economic growth, says Charles Hall Brits appear to be obsessed by risk. Warnings abound throughout our lives such as endlessly repeating ‘mind the gap’, providing heatwave advice that warmer countries don’t seem to find [...]
Doctors’ strikes prove militant BMA is prepared to put patients’ lives at risk July 16, 2025 Resident doctors are endangering their patients’ lives with immoral strikes based on distorted calculations. The British public must finally see their militant union for what it really is, says Alys Denby “Resident doctors” as we must now call them (‘junior’ being a term fit for barristers but far too demeaning for these life savers) will [...]
The NHS is in terminal decline – a social insurance model is the only cure July 16, 2025 Compared to similar countries, the NHS ranks second to last in terms of life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and preventable and treatable mortality. There is a better way, says Ben Ramanauskas The NHS is not fit for purpose and is in urgent need of reform. That is the conclusion of a new report from Policy [...]