Brent crude could hit $110 if oil flow through Strait of Hormuz halved June 23, 2025 Oil prices could surge to new highs, Goldman Sachs has warned, after the US attacked three sites in Iran spiking fears that a crucial Iranian-controlled waterway could be disrupted. The price of Brent crude oil spiked 5.7 per cent in the aftermath to $81.40 a barrel – marking a five month high. Prices later gave [...]
London suffering from UK economic malaise, NatWest data suggests June 9, 2025 Businesses in London saw output decline for the second consecutive month in NatWest’s growth tracker – yet there is some optimism that the capital’s economy could resurge. Firms widely reported Chancellor Reeves’ tax hikes and a rise in energy bills, which kicked into effect in what has been dubbed ‘Awful April’, contributed to a decline [...]
Is HSBC turning its back on Europe? May 20, 2025 When Georges Elhedery took the helm at HSBC, he wasted no time making his mark on the firm. Elhedery plotted a “simpler, more dynamic and agile organisation” in his sweeping restructure first announced in October 2024. One significant change introduced by the new bank chief was splitting the business into “eastern markets” covering the Asia-pacific [...]
Brick Lane curry houses could ‘go bust’ due to net zero push May 12, 2025 The drive to reach net zero has transformed the way most Brits live. But when Brick Lane restaurant owner Guljar Khan opened his first curry house with his brother more than two decades ago, he never imagined that it might one day change the way tandoori chicken is cooked. Khan has seen his mini empire [...]
HSBC and Standard Chartered shares sink as ‘outsized’ Asian tariffs bite April 7, 2025 Shares in banking giants HSBC and Standard Chartered have taken a significant hit as the global trade war ramps up. HSBC was down nearly three per cent in early trading on Monday. The lender’s losses in the last five days have now topped 15 per cent. Meanwhile, Standard Chartered plunged nearly four per cent, with [...]
More than 10,000 millionaires have left Britain in a year – this is where they’re all going January 31, 2025 More than 10,000 millionaires left Britain last year, partly to avoid higher taxes – with many quitting for more glamorous destinations. In total Britain lost a net 10,800 millionaires in 2024, according to the New World Wealth (NWW) analytics firm, more than any other country except China. That is a rise of 157 per cent [...]
Year of the Snake: China faces ‘short term pain for long term gain’ January 29, 2025 As China welcomes in the new year today, markets are hopeful that the government’s strategy of ‘short term pain for long term gain’ is enough to push the Chinese economy to a new stage of development. In traditional Chinese culture, the Year of the Snake embodies qualities of introspection, transformation and adaptability. That year seems fitting for 2025, as [...]
Dr Martens: Asia drives recovery for FTSE boot-maker as Europe falters January 27, 2025 Dr Martens reported a recovery in revenue driven by e-commerce sales in Asia and a turnaround in America. Overall group revenue rose by three per cent to £267m in constant currency, an adjustment of figures to align the number of reporting days in the current and prior reporting periods, in the third quarter of the [...]
Law firm RPC elects new managing partner January 15, 2025 City-based law firm RPC has selected Antony Sassi to step up to the leadership role of managing partner of the firm, succeeding James Miller
How Asian stock markets are dominating the UK on IPOs December 27, 2024 Asian stock markets continued to surge in popularity in 2024, outperforming the languishing UK market in IPOs. Throughout this year, Asia has dominated on stock exchange floats, with over 600 IPOs throughout the year, more than two thirds of the 867 floats globally in 2024, according to data from Globaldata. In comparison, the UK market [...]