Standard Chartered wealth arm booms in volatile second quarter July 31, 2025 Standard Chartered’s wealth and markets arms boomed in a volatile second quarter of the year driving a surge in profit at the London-listed bank. The FTSE 100 firm recorded a 47 per cent uptick in global markets income on a constant currency basis, as takings topped $1.2bn (£900m) for the second quarter. Meanwhile, wealth solutions [...]
Aston Martin: Why going private could be the right road for luxury carmaker July 29, 2025 Luxury carmaker Aston Martin could delist from the London Stock Exchange and return to private ownership as a way to boost its balance sheet, according to an analyst. Experts at Third Bridge have said the move could have a number of benefits for the Warwickshire-headquartered brand including “improve agility, attract long-term partners, and reduce the [...]
Paragon maintains pace as stamp duty changes slow mortgage lending July 29, 2025 Paragon has weathered a shakeup in stamp duty as analysts hailed the FTSE 250 bank’s “excellent momentum” in the first nine months of the financial year. The London-listed business recorded £1.1bn mortgage lending for the first three quarters, but estimated full-year volumes at the lower end of targets at £1.6bn. The firm said subdued activity [...]
WH Smith sells Funky Pigeon brand for £24m in travel pivot July 29, 2025 WH Smith has sold its Funky Pigeon brand to Card Factory, as the retailer sheds legacy assets ahead of a pivot towards becoming a pared down travel retailer. The Bristol and Guernsey-based novelty greeting cards line was sold for £24m, with Card Factory looking to integrate its technology into its consumer business. Funky Pigeon’s sale [...]
Barclays investment bank powers £1bn profit jump in first half July 29, 2025 Barclays rounded off the first half of 2025 with a major bump in profit as its all-important investment banking arm rallied on global markets turmoil. The FTSE 100 bank delivered a 28 per cent increase in profit before tax as it topped £5.2bn for the first six months of the year. The firm’s investment bank [...]
UK markets face ‘serious challenge’ in risk-averse investors July 28, 2025 UK stocks are being stung by national risk aversion with Brits “low emotional capacity for risk” triggering widespread under-investment. Nearly six in ten Brits were unwilling to face the prospect of short-term losses on investments, according to Fresh research from Oxford Risk found and the UK’s second largest platform for private investors, Interactive Investor. Over [...]
European markets rally as Trump and EU ink trade deal July 28, 2025 Markets across Europe opened in the green on Monday morning after President Donald Trump sealed a trade deal with the EU after months of discussion. The Cac 40 in Paris was up over one per cent and Germany’s DAX and Amsterdam’s AEX nearly one per cent. In London, the FTSE 100 jumped over 0.4 per [...]
Wood Group likely to recommend takeover sparking delisting fears July 28, 2025 London-listed engineering and consulting firm Wood Group said it is likely to recommend a takeover by Middle Eastern-based privately owned company Sidara sparking another potential delisting from the London Stock Exchange. Wood said on Monday that Sidara, formerly known as Dar Al-Handasah, had expressed interest in acquiring the group with a 35p per share deal. [...]
ITV beats expectations despite profits dip, as streaming and Studios deliver July 24, 2025 ITV has delivered half year results ahead of expectations, bolstering confidence in its turnaround strategy despite a sharp fall in profits. Growth in digital advertising and continued momentum at ITV Studios offset tough comparisons with last year’s advertising period during the men’s Euros. The FTSE 250 broadcaster reported a 31 per cent drop in group [...]
Burberry: Early signs of turnaround take shape July 18, 2025 Burberry reported a smaller-than-expected dip in sales this morning as new chief executive Joshua Schulman’s early efforts to revive the luxury label begin to take hold. In a trading update for the 13 weeks to 28 June, the British fashion house said retail revenue fell six per cent to £433m, with comparable store sales down [...]