FCA fines Neil Woodford and Woodford IM £46m after fund failures August 5, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a £46m fine against once-renowned investment manager Neil Woodford and his former firm, Woodford Investment Management (WIM). The City watchdog handed Woodford a fine of £5.88m and banned him from holding senior manager roles and managing funds for retail investors. The authority also fined Woodford Investment Management £40m. [...]
Swiss shares fall as the country feels the wrath of Trump’s tariffs August 4, 2025 Shares in Swiss firms dropped on Monday morning as markets digested the consequences of US president Donald Trump’s high tariffs. The Swiss Market Index dropped by 1.9 per cent to 11,835 francs upon opening this morning, before easing its losses to trade at 1.54 per cent down. It clawed its way back to 0.77 per [...]
Motor finance redress scheme to cost up to £18bn, FCA says August 3, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has confirmed it will consult on an industry-wide redress scheme following the Supreme Court’s motor finance ruling last Friday. The City watchdog is aiming to publish a consultation by early October, with total costs of the redress expected to be between £9bn and £18bn. The regulator said in June that any [...]
Pharma stocks suffer as Trump demands prescription slash August 1, 2025 Pharmaceutical stocks across the global markets have taken a hit after Trump demanded drug companies lower prices for American consumers. Trump’s threat against pharmaceuticals has given healthcare sector investors “a dose of the blues” after his letter to various company bosses. It outlined that they should either cut US prescription prices or face a tariff [...]
Global markets take a tumble as Trump pushes on with his trade war August 1, 2025 Global stocks weakened on Friday morning after US President Donald Trump hit multiple countries with a blitz of tariffs. Trump’s ambition to restructure the global trading order in his administration’s favour has sent jitters through markets on his set negotiation deadline day. The FTSE 100 is down 0.7 per cent, with UK drug maker Astrazeneca [...]
Investors put off by complicated wealth management tools July 31, 2025 Half of people who want help investing, feel “dissatisfied” with traditional wealth management tools, believing them to be too expensive or complex, a new survey has found. Two thirds of UK investors believe not enough people invest due to being unable to use complicated wealth management tools, according to research from wealth management platform Stratiphy. [...]
Investors continue to opt for gold driving global demand July 31, 2025 Global demand for gold shows no sign of slowing down as investors and central banks continue to hoover up the safe haven asset. The precious metal rallied over the first half of the year, recording a 26 per cent rise against the dollar and outperforming almost all other major asset classes, according to the latest [...]
Lloyds reports strong growth as UK economic conditions improve July 24, 2025 Lloyds bank has reported a strong financial performance in the first half of the year, achieving income growth and showing continued momentum across the business. The FTSE 100 giant, which includes Lloyd’s, Halifax and Bank of Scotland recorded a statutory profit after tax increase of £2.5bn, up 4 per cent year on year, with a [...]
Mansion House: time for world-class regulation for a world-class insurance market July 14, 2025 Dear Chancellor, Access to the right insurance is critical to ensure a well-functioning, growing, economy. Insurance brokers work for the client. However, it is increasingly hard for individuals and businesses, to access the advice and products they need because of the challenges caused by over-burdensome regulation on insurance brokers. When you unveil your Financial Services [...]
AIM boss: Inheritance tax sums don’t add up June 19, 2025 As AIM celebrates its 30th anniversary the market’s boss is eying a crucial birthday present from the Treasury: tax clarity. AIM shareholders were thrust into the tax spotlight last month after a leaked memo revealed Angela Rayner proposed Chancellor Rachel Reeves slap a series of taxes savers. Scrapping the inheritance tax exemption for AIM shares [...]