Brits embrace ‘value’ fun as Hollywood Bowl’s revenue up 11 per cent and outlook raised April 11, 2023 Bowling operator Hollywood Bowl has lifted its outlook for the rest of the year after a 11 per cent increase in revenue, as Brits turned to the affordable activity in the cost of living crisis. The leisure business, which operates across the UK and Canada, said group revenue in the six months to March 2023 [...]
New investment trust plots £100m IPO in boost for London April 11, 2023 A new investment trust has revealed plans for a £100m float on the London Stock Exchange today in a boost to the capital’s markets after a barren start to the year. Ashoka WhiteOak Emerging Markets Trust announced this morning that it would list a new investment vehicle that to back quoted firms that provide exposure [...]
London IPO market slows to a crawl in 2023 as analysts warn ‘challenging’ times to come April 11, 2023 London managed only five IPOs in the first quarter of 2023, raising just £81m as the City’s flagship exchange struggles to attract new participants. The main market saw only two IPOs, from Dar Global and Streaks Gaming. The two IPOs raised a combined £63m, with £60m of that coming from luxury real estate firm Dar [...]
Another LNG-fuelled winter will expose lack of seriousness about UK’s energy goals April 11, 2023 Winter is over, with the government managing to stave off blackouts over – but LNG problems persist, exposing the UK's energy challenge.
The City’s flagship markets still matter – despite a changing Square Mile April 11, 2023 London’s markets are something of a hot topic in the City at the moment, and the smattering of rather unspectacular floats so far this year will do little to calm concerns that our capital markets are not the global hotspot they once were. The question is whether it matters to anything other than our collective [...]
Last orders: British pubs closing at a faster rate than during Covid-19 – and it could get worse April 11, 2023 Pubs are vanishing from communities across England and Wales amid soaring energy and food prices. Analysis of government data conducted by real estate advisor Altus Group shows that the number of public houses shutting up shop leapt to 51 a month in the first financial quarter of 2023. In 2022, after the UK emerged from [...]
Gender pension gap: Women trail men by thousands – and the gap could widen April 11, 2023 Women’s pensions are on average £17,014 smaller than their male counterparts, per a new study by pensions consultants TPT. The research found that among those who knew how much they had put aside, the average man in his 50s would retire with far more money than a female counterpart. Women workers, by contrast, fear that [...]
Is confidence returning despite recession chatter? This index suggests it just might be April 11, 2023 The worst of the UK’s economic downturn could soon be over, with companies reporting supply chain cost increases are beginning to slow down. Figures published by BDO found that business confidence rose in March in reaction to a 2.19 percent ease in the advisory firm’s inflation index rate from 113.18 in February to 110.99 in March. Tumbling [...]
Soft landing? Why the latest jobs data could leave the Fed with a tricky call April 10, 2023 Analysts are divided about whether the US Federal Reserve should hike rates again as they digest last week’s figures on the labour market. On Friday last week, a closely watched survey of the US labour market showed the economy added 236,000 new jobs in March. While more jobs are still being added, the report suggests [...]
Oil prices propped up by OPEC+ supply cuts amid gloomy economic forecasts April 10, 2023 Oil prices have stabilised today after three straight weeks of gains, with further supply cuts from OPEC+ propping up both major benchmarks.