LIVE: Bank of England cuts interest rates to four per cent August 7, 2025 The Bank of England has slashed interest rates to the lowest level in more than two years at four per cent. The decision to cut rates from 4.25 per cent comes after members were told to vote for a second time after facing a split decision. It follows the Bank’s chief economist, Huw Pill, telling [...]
Trump hikes India tariffs to 50 per cent for fuelling Russian ‘war machine’ August 6, 2025 President Donald Trump has imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India after the country’s government imported Russian Federation Oil. In an executive order signed on Wednesday, the White House said it would slap Indian imports with the fresh levy taking their overall rate to 50 per cent. The President warned on Tuesday he [...]
Metlen shares jump on £5bn London debut August 4, 2025 Metlen Energy and Metals had a strong first morning as a London Stock Exchange constituent, after the Greek industrials giant opted to shift its primary listing from Athens. The group’s shares opened at €48 (4180p) – 1.8 per cent higher than the stock’s closing price in Athens of €47.16 – and continued to rise throughout [...]
Global markets take a tumble as Trump pushes on with his trade war August 1, 2025 Global stocks weakened on Friday morning after US President Donald Trump hit multiple countries with a blitz of tariffs. Trump’s ambition to restructure the global trading order in his administration’s favour has sent jitters through markets on his set negotiation deadline day. The FTSE 100 is down 0.7 per cent, with UK drug maker Astrazeneca [...]
Watches of Switzerland shares slump as Trump ups tariffs August 1, 2025 Watches of Switzerland saw its share price drop more than seven per cent in early trade as investors shied away from the effect of Trump’s sweeping new tariffs. On Friday morning, Trump announced a new tariff rate of 39 per cent for Swiss exports to the US – higher than the initial ‘Liberation Day’ tariff [...]
Schroders bounces back after weak performance July 31, 2025 Asset manager Schroders has rallied from a poor first quarter caused by tariff turmoil, through strategic investment in line with its three year transformation plan. Assets under management (AUM) remained stable at £776.6bn, down slightly from £778.7bn recorded the previous year, as improved performance and investment of £24bn was offset by foreign exchange movements due [...]
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 [...]
Trump’s gambit: play by his rules or lose July 30, 2025 The US-EU trade deal signals a new geopolitical era where security trumps commerce, allies are rewarded for loyalty, and Trump’s strategy forces nations to pick sides – America or China? Writes Helen Thomas The devil is usually in the detail but when it comes to the US-EU trade deal, the big picture is what counts. [...]
BAE shares slip despite guidance upgrade July 30, 2025 BAE shares slipped in early morning trade on Wednesday despite Britain’s biggest defence business upgraded its earnings guidance. The FTSE 100 firm increased its full year sales forecasts to growth of 8-10 per cent, up from 7-9 per cent, with underlying pre-tax earnings set to grow 9-11 per cent, up from 8-10 per cent. However, [...]
HSBC shares sink as impairment charge triggers 29 per cent profit hit July 30, 2025 Europe’s biggest lender HSBC suffered a 29 per cent annual hit to profit in the second quarter of the year after a hefty impairment charge related to business in China. The FTSE 100 juggernaut posted a $6.3bn (£4.72bn) pre-tax profit, missing analyst expectations of $6.99bn. This came as the lender recorded a $2.1bn write-down for [...]