Lammy’s cohabitation rules threaten unmarried couples with ‘horrendous’ court costs Legal Justice secretary Alex Norris is facing backlash from senior legal figures on plans to give unmarried couples court-enforced rights after three years of cohabitation, passed on to him by predecessor David Lammy. The government is currently consulting on proposals to reform British couples’ cohabitation rights, which would give the courts power to intervene when unmarried [...]
Gold meltdown takes shine off speculative rally Markets The 12th Century theologian Alain de Lille could be forgiven a chortle on his heavenly cloud after witnessing the latest rollercoaster in gold prices. “Do not hold everything gold that shines like gold,” he warned over 800 years ago, a warning that many traders failed to heed in the latest speculative rally. Last Thursday the [...]
HSBC shares rise as Georges Elhedery’s pivot East beats the noise Banking HSBC’s pass through the third quarter was almost identical to the second. Despite another hefty hit to the firm’s bottom line, chief executive Georges Elhedery has quietly and effectively pushed ahead with his bold overhaul of the group. For the three months to September 30, HSBC took a 14 per cent profit beat falling to [...]
Average Brit would need lifetime of earnings to become wealthy October 8, 2025 The average British worker would need to save more than a lifetime’s worth of earnings to become wealthy, fresh analysis has revealed. The ever-widening wealth gap means it would take £1.3m – around 52 years’ worth of average earnings – to jump from the middle to the top of wealth distribution. This is over a [...]
Polar Capital: Profit jumps as boss departs June 30, 2025 Asset manager Polar Capital reported a surge in profit for the latest financial year but a tough final quarter and the threat of market volatility lingered over results. The London-listed firm recorded a 27 per cent jump in core operating profit to £56.7m for the year ending March 31 2025. Pre-tax profit dipped six per [...]
Impax’s takings slump after global retreat on sustainability May 22, 2025 Impax Asset Management recorded a slump in revenue in the first half of the year as a global retreat on green policies turned clients away from its sustainability offering. The firm cited a “challenging first half of financial year” with assets under management falling to £25.3bn. This was down from £37.2bn at the end of [...]
Government could take Abramovich to court over £2bn from Chelsea sale March 7, 2025 The government is reportedly preparing to take former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to court to get their hands on £2bn from the sale of the club. The oligarch previously said that the money from the sale, currently frozen in a bank account, would go to those hit by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But ministers have [...]
Abrdn changes name back to Aberdeen and swings back to profit March 4, 2025 Abrdn has rounded out a bumper year with a return to profit and a total revamp of its brand. The company announced it will change its name back to Aberdeen as it begins the search for its next chairman, who will succeed Sir Douglas Flint. Group chief executive Jason Windsor said: “We are changing our [...]
Value of UK housing stock hits £9 trillion for the first time February 17, 2025 The total value of all homes across the UK has passed £9 trillion for the first time, according to new research by property firm Savills. After a brief slump in 2023, the UK’s housing stock grew by £346bn last year – meaning it is now more than 3.5 times the annual GDP of the UK. [...]
Polar Capital shakes off August’s market meltdown October 10, 2024 Polar Capital has reported an uptick in assets under management after the specialist fund manager shook off a hit from August's market meltdown.