Mark Kleinman: Can Osborne usher in a golden era for HSBC? November 20, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column Can Osborne usher in a golden era for HSBC? George Osborne’s words to his Chinese audience were clear: “Through the ups and downs, let’s stick together. Let’s stick together to grow our economies. Let’s stick together to make [...]
Who is ‘Drastic Dave’, the man sent to save Diageo? November 11, 2025 Diageo shareholders breathed a sigh of relief this morning after the FTSE 100 drinks giant unveiled the appointment of its new chief executive, Sir Dave Lewis. Shares rose 7.5 per cent in morning trading to 1,856 pence following the selection of the retail and consumer goods veteran, rebounding from their sharp drop last Thursday following [...]
FTSE 100 and S&P 500 circle record highs as US shutdown cools November 10, 2025 Global markets sprung back to life on Monday after AI jitters and the US government shutdown helped trigger widespread sell-offs last week. The S&P 500 – which tracks the 500 leading companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States – jumped over one per cent to 6,804.80p at Wall Street’s opening bell. The tech-heavy [...]
Guinness owner Diageo shares rocket after appointment of ‘Drastic Dave’ November 10, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 drinks giant Diageo have rocketed after the appointment of a new chief executive with an impressive turnaround record. News of the appointment of retail and consumer goods veteran Sir Dave Lewis saw shares in the struggling giant rise 6.8 per cent in early morning trading to 1,845p, rebounding from their sharp [...]
Diageo shares slide on profit warning after weak Chinese demand November 6, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 drinks giant Diageo have fallen after weak demand in China and the US hurt sales and profit expectations. The group said its operating profit growth was set to be in the low to mid single-digit range for the year to June 2026, down from its previous guidance of mid single digits. [...]
Mark Kleinman: Ovo’s quest for cash needs fresh spark October 23, 2025 Ovo’s quest for cash needs fresh spark Talk about losing its spark. For Stephen Fitzpatrick, the 2020 acquisition of SSE’s retail energy supply arm was a defining moment – a daring swoop by Ovo, the upstart utility he had founded, for a principal member of the sector oligopoly. It’s been far from plain sailing since: [...]
Whisky Business: Distillery tours saving the Scotch industry September 11, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. The 1980s were a particularly dark time in the history of the Scotch whisky industry. Throughout the decade, around a third of all Scottish distilleries closed their doors as demand dried up. Even well-established players were caught in the slump. Distillers such as Carsebridge, also [...]
Port Ellen cheers 200th year with Distillers One of One donation August 20, 2025 Last year, after four decades of closure, the iconic Port Ellen distillery reopened its doors just in time for its 200th anniversary. And to celebrate, the distillery has donated a one-of-a-kind bottle to the Distillers One of One auction. The Islay distillery closed in the 1980s, one of many victims of a crash that decimated [...]
Diageo: Debra Crew gets golden goodbye after being ousted as CEO August 14, 2025 The former chief executive of FTSE 100 giant Diageo is set to receive a bumper pay day after being ousted last month, it has been revealed. Debra Crew quit with immediate effect in July and was succeeded on an interim basis by the embattled drinks group’s finance boss Nik Jhangiani. Diageo, whose brands include Johnnie [...]
Diageo: Profit at FTSE 100 giant tumbles despite Guinness growth August 5, 2025 Profit at FTSE 100 giant Diageo has fallen far short of expectations as high costs hammer the drinks giant. Net sales fell 0.1 per cent to $20.24bn (£15.24bn), Diageo told markets this morning, below analysts’ expectations of 1.4 per cent. It expects next year’s organic sales growth to be flat, and for organic operating profit [...]