EY: Profit warnings surge points to ‘economic shock’ May 6, 2025 Nearly one in five listed companies have told investors that they expected profits to decline in the past twelve months, new research has suggested, reflecting firms’ vulnerabilities to higher taxes and damaging tariffs. Chancellor Reeves flattered investors in the run-up to last year’s election, calling Labour the “natural party of business”. But a new report [...]
When words matter more than numbers at the Bank of England May 5, 2025 City analysts have pencilled in their predictions for Thursday. Here’s how almost all of them likely read. Interest rates will be cut to 4.25 per cent, the Bank of England’s inflation forecast for this year will exceed its two per cent target and President Trump’s tariffs will be highlighted as a detriment to UK growth. [...]
US services growth ‘stalling’ as recession looms large May 5, 2025 Donald Trump’s tariffs are having a knock-on effect on growth in the US services, fresh data has suggested, as market uncertainty prompts business leaders to delay investment decisions. The US president’s trade policies have confused firms in the sector despite exemptions from taxes on imports, S&P Global said on Monday. April saw its lowest level [...]
Amazon row proves Trump’s America is an unreliable partner for business May 5, 2025 Trump’s overreaction to an unconfirmed story about Amazon including the cost of tariffs on its price labels businesses must now navigate a landscape where loyalty to the President matters more than logic, says Eliot Wilson It started with Punchbowl News. On Tuesday last week, as Donald Trump was marking 100 days in office, the Capitol [...]
Donald Trump says he does not know if he backs due process rights May 4, 2025 Donald Trump has refused to affirm his intention to uphold due process rights laid out in the US constitution. In a new interview, the US president also said he does not think military force will be needed to make Canada the “51st state” of the US, and played down the possibility he would look to [...]
Free Thinking: Will Trump’s Gen Z baby bonuses boost birth rates? May 2, 2025 Alys Denby and best-selling author of Inheritocracy Eliza Filby discuss the prospects for young people growing up in an uncertain economy as Donald Trump marks 100 days in office.
Week in Business: The billionaires backing Britain May 1, 2025 BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Virgin supremo Sir Richard Branson, businessman John Caudwell and JP Morgan top dog Jamie Dimon – quite the quartet – have all made some fascinating interventions this week. Let’s start with BlackRock, the world’s largest investor, running more than $11 trillion on behalf of pension funds, private clients and sovereign wealth [...]
Manufacturing edges towards year of decline amid ‘noticeable impact’ of tariffs May 1, 2025 UK manufacturing’s falling production levels show no signs of ending as the spectre of tariffs brings a “noticeable impact” on exporters’ sales, leading analysts have said. Firms have had to navigate through sticky inflation and high energy costs for the best part of three years as the UK’s weakened economy has failed to bounce back [...]
Rolls-Royce eyes nearly £3bn profit despite tariffs May 1, 2025 Rolls-Royce said it is confident it will hit underlying profit of nearly £3bn in 2025, despite ongoing tariff uncertainty. The London-listed engineering giant on Thursday held a previously guided underlying profit range of between £2.7bn and £2.9bn. It is also looking at between £2.7bn and £2.9bn of free cash flow. In a statement to markets, [...]
National Grid appoints Shell director to replace chief executive May 1, 2025 National Grid has unveiled plans for the appointment of a top executive at Shell to replace its current boss, John Pettigrew. Zoë Yujnovich, a former director of integrated gas and upstream at Shell, will net a base salary of £1.3m per year when she takes charge of the UK’s electricity network later this year. She [...]