Currys: Shares dip despite interest rates helping sales at retailer May 21, 2025 Electrical retailer Currys has reported a jump in profit after sales jumped thanks in part to a boost from lower interest costs. In a trading update on Wednesday, the firm said it expects pre-tax profit to come in at £162m, up 37 per cent year-on-year. Previous guidance had indicated profit for the period ending May [...]
Reform would be an economic disaster (trust me, I worked for Liz Truss) May 21, 2025 I’ve seen first-hand what happens when politicians promise huge tax cuts without acknowledging difficult trade-offs – and that’s exactly what we’d get from a Reform government, says Sir Simon Clarke It’s time to take Reform seriously, because one day soon, they might run our country. Stranger things have happened. Look at France, where the traditional [...]
Defence boom will continue long after Ukraine war, says Panmure May 19, 2025 An end to hostilties in Ukraine would only be a short-term setback for the share price of European defence manufacturers, according to analysts. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS) said last week that in the case of a mid-2025 ceasefire in Ukraine, Russia could rearm and attack a Baltic state as soon as 2027. [...]
Analysts say ‘Buy’ Vanquis shares after payday loan turnaround May 15, 2025 Vanquis shares could finally be about to turn a corner, according to one group of City analysts. The shares peaked at more than 2,600p in 2015, and have since fallen by more than 96 per cent as Vanquis has endured soaring complaints and regulatory backlash thanks to its sub-prime lending and payday loan market exposure. [...]
City broker backs Kingsmill merger with Hovis May 6, 2025 A “merger of equals” between Kingsmill and Hovis may be necessary for the turnaround of both businesses, a City broker has said. Kingsmill-owner ABF confirmed this morning that it was exploring a merger with Hovis as one of several options for its bakery arm. ABF said the talks had been prompted by a “very challenging” [...]
City broker upgrades Boohoo shares to ‘Hold’ April 23, 2025 City broker Shore Capital has upgraded fast-fashion retailer Boohoo, now trading as Debenhams, from a ‘Sell’ to a ‘Hold’ in light of its falling share price. Boohoo’s share price has dropped by more than a third since last November, after a series of poor trading updates and a public spat with Mike Ashley. Shore Capital [...]
Polar Capital stock downgraded amid warning of dividend cut April 14, 2025 Polar Capital has been downgraded by two different City analysts after its assets fell significantly more than had been expected by forecasts. The tech-focused asset manager lost £2.4bn over the last quarter almost entirely due to £2.3bn of losses in investment returns, as US tech giants have struggled to match the stock price returns of [...]
Why are we all saving so much? March 30, 2025 It’s a question that has been puzzling economists for months. The worst of the cost-of-living crisis is, for most households, moving further into their rear-view mirror. The Bank of England’s rate setters have successfully – if belatedly – reined in the worst of the inflation that caused so many households to tighten their belts after [...]
Virgin Wines targets £100m revenue in five-year growth plan March 26, 2025 Virgin Wines has reported an uptick in profit and new customers, as well as a five-year growth plan aiming to nearly double revenue to £100m by 2029. The company will also implement a share buyback programme to purchase up to 15 per cent of its share capital, although it will not introduce a dividend. The [...]
Drax agrees £200m deal for battery storage investor March 25, 2025 Drax has agreed a £200m deal to acquire the battery storage investor Harmony Energy Income Trust (HEIT) as it looks to shore up the UK’s power supply. The deal represents a premium of 11 per cent to HEIT’s closing price on 24 March, the last business day prior to the announcement. Drax said the deal, [...]