Prudential: FTSE 100 insurer pledges $5bn in shareholder returns August 27, 2025 FTSE 100 insurer Prudential said it had reached its “inflection point” on Wednesday after growing profit and kicking off a hefty program of returns of investors. The firm recorded a six per cent increase in adjusted operating profit before tax to $1.6bn (£1.2bn). Life weighted premium income, which indicates the volume of new business, increased [...]
WH Smith shares tumble after retailer admits accounting blunder August 21, 2025 Shares in WH Smith tumbled on Thursday after the newsagent and travel retailer admitted to an accounting blunder that has wiped tens of millions of pounds from its profits. The FTSE 250 firm said a “financial review” identified an overstatement of around £30m of expected headline trading profit in its North America division that was [...]
Trustpilot: Can reviews site really be trusted? August 20, 2025 Trustpilot’s CEO has insisted his reviews site “isn’t perfect” but wants to be “the universal symbol of trust”. Speaking on the latest episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered show, Adrian Blair defended the FTSE 250 business when asked whether Trustpilot could actually be trusted itself. Since being founded in 2007 by Peter Holten Mühlmann, the [...]
PageGroup profits slide as UK recruitment slowdown bites August 12, 2025 Recruiter PageGroup has posted a sharp drop in first half profits as subdued hiring across the UK and Europe weighed on performance, but the group stuck to its full year targets and pledged to press ahead with cost cuts. The Surrey-headquartered FTSE 250 firm saw operating profit tumble to £2.1m in the six months to [...]
Trustpilot boss: If I was Keir Starmer for the day, this is what I’d do August 11, 2025 The chief executive of FTSE 250 firm Trustpilot has revealed what his first order of business would be if he succeeded Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister for just one day. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered show, Adrian Blair pointed to his desire to go after what he described as [...]
Plus500 customer deposits more than double to record $3.1bn August 11, 2025 Plus500 has seen its customer deposits more than double to a record $3.1bn (£2.3bn) as wealthy investors piled in to its share trading app. The London fintech said the average deposit held by an active customer stood at $17,250 by the end of the first half of the year, a jump of 105 per cent [...]
New Princes: Food giant gears up for £700m City listing August 10, 2025 International food operations giant New Princes is gearing up for a blockbuster listing on the London Stock Exchange – a move City officials hope will spark a wave of new flotations. The Italian-owned business – which makes Princes Tuna and produces Flora and Branston products – is approaching investors regarding the backing of an IPO [...]
Serco: Defence spending pushes order pipeline to 10-year high August 7, 2025 Government services firm Serco’s order pipeline has risen to the highest in more than a decade as countries across Europe and North America ramp up their defence budgets. The firm’s pipeline stood at £11.9bn, up six per cent compared to the end of last year, with as much as 80 per cent of its order [...]
FTSE 100 banks outperform but face tougher waters ahead August 4, 2025 The FTSE 100’s banking constituents breezed through the second quarter results season as interest income remained stable and trading income soared on the back of market volatility. The ‘Big Five’ banks of London’s flagship stock index – Barclays, HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds and Standard Chartered – pocketed a combined £12.8bn in the three months to June [...]
Auction Technology Group shares tumble after debt-fuelled acquisition of Chairish August 4, 2025 Shares in Auction Technology Group tumbled on Monday after the firm added to its debt pile with the acquisition of furniture marketplace Chairish in a $85m (£64m) deal. The London-listed company said it had extended its revolving credit borrowing capacity to $275m alongside the deal, which was funded by a combination of cash and debt. [...]