Strix Group boss exits and dividend axed after share price plunges Sales The boss of Strix Group, a key player in safety controls for appliances, has departed following a plummet in the firm’s share price as macroeconomic pressures weighed. Mark Bartlett will step down from his role at Strix after nearly two decades at the company, one of which was spent in the top job. Shares were [...]
Santander: UK businesses shift away from China as tensions flare Economics UK businesses are moving away from China as risks mount amid flaring geopolitical tensions. Over half of firms are taking steps to bring their supply chains closer to home, with one in five having already relocated their network closer to the UK. The moves come amid questions over China’s dominance in the supply chain, with [...]
ICG: FTSE 100 giant’s shares rocket as fee income soars Investing Shares in global alternative asset manager Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) soared on Tuesday morning after the firm recorded a dramatic jump in profit for the first half of the year. The FTSE 100 giant’s stock was up over eight per cent to 2,046.26p when markets opened, which came after the group revealed a 77 per [...]
High energy prices make the UK ‘vulnerable’ US ambassador warns November 5, 2025 The US ambassador to the UK has warned Britain’s sky-high energy prices threaten to undermine its status as a major global economy. Speaking at an event at the Savoy Hotel on Wednesday, Warren Stephens described UK energy prices, which are among the highest in the world, as the “chief obstacle” to growth. “Energy costs in [...]
Autumn Budget could ‘exacerbate’ manufacturing challenges November 3, 2025 Fears that the UK manufacturing industry’s recovery could be “short-lived” have jumped as firms brace for a painful Autumn Budget. The latest S&P Global’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged up to 49.7 in October, marking a 12-month high for the sector. But this remained stubbornly below the all-important 50.0 threshold, which indicates whether a [...]
Nvidia hits historic $5tn market cap October 29, 2025 AI and chips behemoth Nvidia has smashed another record valuation, with its $5tn market cap that puts it well clear of the GDP of Germany – the fourth biggest economy in the world. Shares in Nvidia jumped up 3.5 per cent in premarket trading, amid a surge in investor enthusiasm for AI. Nvidia’s surge followed [...]
GSK shares jump as profit upgrade defies tariff gloom October 29, 2025 Shares in GSK climbed as much as three per cent to 1,705p on Wednesday morning as the pharma giant defied tariff fears with an upgrade to its profit guidance. The London-based business said it now expects turnover to increase by six to seven per cent for the full year 2025, up from its previous guidance [...]
Autumn Budget: JCB boss calls on Reeves not to do anything ‘daft’ October 22, 2025 The chief executive of JCB has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves not to do anything “daft” in her Autumn Budget which would deter inward investment. Graeme Macdonald, who leads the Staffordshire-headquartered manufacturing giant under chairman Lord Anthony Bamford, said he’s “not optimistic” about the Budget next month, adding that Reeves is “definitely” going to raise [...]
US-China tensions heat up as Trump threatens to block cooking oil imports October 15, 2025 Donald Trump has threatened to cut off all imports of cooking oil from China, in another escalation of the war of words over trade between the world’s two largest economies. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that the latest trade tussle with China over soybeans represents “an Economically Hostile Act”. He [...]
Trump’s treasury secretary Scott Bessent lashes out at ‘weak’ China October 14, 2025 Markets have wobbled amid attacks by Scott Bessent on China’s trade policy, after Beijing unveiled sweeping controls on rare earth materials and critical minerals. The US treasury secretary told the Financial Times: “This is a sign of how weak their economy is, and they want to pull everybody else down with them.” He said: “Maybe [...]