Reeves’ spending spree could open £20bn gap – which taxes will rise? June 12, 2025 Rachel Reeves splashed the taxpayer cash in her inaugural Spending Review, raising expectations the Chancellor may be coming back for more tax revenue in the Autumn if her growth ambitions are not met. Reeves is set to hand out an extra £190bn in government spending over the course of the parliament, in what she described [...]
Ramsdens strikes gold after price jump boosts profit to record high June 4, 2025 Pawnbroker Ramsdens enjoyed a bumper six months as its profit soared on the back of record high gold prices. Ramsdens’ pre-tax profit jumped 54 per cent to an all-time high of £6.1m. This was up from £4m in the first half of 2024. The firm said its purchase of precious metals segment performed “very strongly” [...]
Nationwide hands customers billions as FTSE 100 banks up shareholder payouts May 30, 2025 Nationwide returned billions to customers in 2024 whilst the FTSE 100 banking juggernauts used excess capital to up payouts for shareholders. The building society handed customers £2.8bn in the last year through a combination of reward schemes that offered better rates on savings and loans. Meanwhile, listed banks used their extra cash to give big [...]
United Utilities: Profit rises significantly as water bills hiked May 15, 2025 Profit at United Utilities jumped significantly ahead of the FTSE 100 giant hiking water bills for its more than seven million customers, it has been revealed. The Warrington-headquartered firm, which serves customers in the North West of England, has also proposed an increase to its final dividend of 4.2 per cent to 34.6p. The company [...]
Clipper tea owner gets £76m pay day after KP Snacks deal boosts profit May 7, 2025 The owner of tea brand Clipper is in line for a huge pay day after the sale of Whole Earth to KP Snacks saw a massive spike in profit. Kallo Foods, whose products also include Kallo and Mrs Crimbles, sold the brand towards the end of 2024 for a then-undisclosed sum. New accounts have now [...]
Renewable energy trust dividends under threat as subsidies expire April 1, 2025 The dividends of renewable infrastructure investment trusts are at risk of growing more volatile as subsidies for clean energy expire in coming years, Stifel has warned. Many renewable infrastructure projects are due to see their government-backed Contracts for Difference, which provide developers with a stable revenue stream, expire between 2032 and 2035. These subsidies are [...]
Global dividends reach record high in 2024 despite UK fall March 5, 2025 Global dividends reached a record high of $1.75 trillion (£1.38 trillion) in 2024, despite a slight fall in UK payouts. Dividends rose 6.6 per cent on an underlying basis last year, according to the latest Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index. Underlying payouts in the UK fell slightly (-0.6 per cent), although this masked some growth [...]
Plus500 announces new buyback as investment plans pay off February 18, 2025 Revenue at the fintech trading platform rose six per cent year-on-year to $768.3m (£609.3m) thanks to a six per cent increase in trading income.
UK dividends fall in 2024 after miners cut payouts January 28, 2025 UK dividends fell 0.4 per cent on an underlying basis in 2024 after miners slashed payouts by 40 per cent compared to the previous year. While headline dividends in 2024 rose 2.3 per cent to £92.1bn, this was thanks to a surge in one-off payments to £5.6bn. Underlying or regular dividends fell to £86.5bn, thanks [...]
Home Bargains billionaire pays himself over £1bn as sales and profit surge January 7, 2025 The billionaire owner of Home Bargains paid himself more than £1bn as sales and profit both jumped at the discount retail giant during its latest financial year. Tom Morris, who owns 98 per cent of Liverpool-headquartered TJ Morris, the firm behind the brand, received the vast majority of the £1.22bn in ordinary dividends and asset [...]