High street banks’ SME lending comeback won’t rattle challengers June 20, 2025 High street banks are flocking back to small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) lending but face a battle against fintechs which have captured their spot. The Big Four banks have shed their market stronghold in SME lending. Research from the British Business Bank in March revealed challenger banks make up around 60 per cent of gross [...]
Peel Hunt: Bonuses scrapped for third year running June 18, 2025 Peel Hunt has scrapped bonuses for its top executives for a third year running as losses at the investment bank continued. Chief executive Steven Fine took home a pay packet of £465,000 for the year to 31 March, 2025, while chief financial and operating officer Sunil Dhall received £316,000, according to its latest annual report. [...]
WFH: Office workers in line for quicker promotions and higher pay June 17, 2025 Staff who attend the office regularly can expect bigger pay rises and faster promotions than peers who prefer to work from home (WFH), a fresh survey of top employers has found. According to research from recruitment shop Reed, over two thirds (68 per cent) of UK companies are more likely to compensate office regulars with [...]
Peel Hunt: UK stock market held back by ‘lack of self esteem’ June 16, 2025 The boss of City broker Peel Hunt has said London markets are being held back by a “domestic lack of self esteem”. Steven Fine, Peel Hunt’s chief executive, told City AM the UK believes it is in “a lot worse shape than the rest of the world does,” which has led to a cheapening of [...]
Dunelm’s ‘market-beating’ potential hailed as shares rocket June 16, 2025 Dunelm has been hailed as a “coiled spring” by London broker Peel Hunt amid rising sales and its shares rocketing in recent weeks. The Leicester-headquartered retailer, which is a member of the FTSE 250 index, a “clear moat” compared to its competitors due to a combination of more products, more active customers and a much [...]
Costain shares jump after Peel Hunt, Panmure raise target price June 16, 2025 Shares in Costain jumped as much as 10 per cent in early London trade after raised price targets from analysts at both Peel Hunt and Panmure Liberum. The London-listed construction company’s target price was upgraded to 150p from 135p by Peel Hunt and to 170p from 150p by Panmure Liberum. The firm unveiled a £10m [...]
Peel Hunt: City broker makes a loss amid economic headwinds June 16, 2025 Investment bank Peel Hunt faced the pinch of economic and market struggles in its latest financial year as cost-cutting measures took a chunk out of the firm’s bottom line. The City broker made a loss before tax of £3.5m, which the firm said was due to restructuring costs. But the company recorded a profit of [...]
Peel Hunt boss renews calls for tax cuts to rescue ailing public markets June 11, 2025 The boss of City broker Peel Hunt has called for a raft of fresh tax cuts for London’s stock market to help stem the flood of delistings and end the dearth of flotations. CEO Steven Fine called for stamp duty on share trades to be abolished in a bid to help “shift this doomloop of [...]
Investors cheer Dr Martens’ turnaround plan – but will it work? June 5, 2025 Shares in Dr Martens have jumped by a fifth as investors cheered on the shoemaker’s new strategy for growth. The iconic brand said it had “failed to take advantage” of its leather goods offering and plans to expand its range of sandals and bags. It’s a “fundamental shift” for the brand, designed to open the [...]
Auto Trader: FTSE 100 giant faces double City broker downgrade June 2, 2025 Forecasts for FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader have been downgraded by two City brokers, after the firm’s disappointing financial results caused analysts to doubt predictions of strong growth. Peel Hunt slashed annual revenue expectations for the group by four per cent, decreasing its earnings per share forecast by three per cent and profit before tax [...]