Is Brexit Britain a winner of the EU and US trade tie-up? July 28, 2025 Brexit Britain is set to have curbed another President Donald Trump trade offensive after the US and EU inked a deal which economists dubbed a White House win and European retreat. The deal, announced late Sunday night, will see the original US-imposed tariffs of 30 per cent on the EU slashed to 15 per cent. [...]
Trump secures ‘big win’ in EU trade deal after Brussels retreats July 28, 2025 President Donald Trump has achieved a “big win” after inking a trade agreement with the European Union following a months-long standoff between two of the world’s largest economic titans. The US President met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland to continue trade discussions as part of his four-day private visit to [...]
IMF warns UK faces ‘significant challenges’ amid trade war July 25, 2025 The Chancellor could be left at risk of breaking her fiscal rules by unexpected economic shocks and faces “significant challenges” in delivering the government’s agenda, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned. The IMF said the UK’s “limited” so-called headroom on its public finances gave little room to manoeuvre and called on Rachel Reeves to [...]
Rolls-Royce banking on bespoke cars to attract super-rich July 23, 2025 Wealthy buyers seeking to personalise their new Rolls-Royce helped boost the luxury car brand’s profit in 2024 despite falling sales. The Hampshire-based business, which is owned by BMW, said its bespoke service reached a record level last year with a 10 per cent increase on average per car year-on-year. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars added the rise [...]
Astrazeneca plots huge $50bn US investment after ditching UK expansion plans July 22, 2025 Astrazeneca has unveiled plans to invest as much as $50bn in manufacturing and R&D in the US after ditching its UK expansion plans in a blow to the government’s industrial strategy. The Cambridge-based pharma giant said it will spend the huge sum over the next five years, including on a new manufacturing facility in Virginia, [...]
Natwest and Lloyds: What to expect from FTSE 100 bank earnings next week July 21, 2025 The FTSE 100’s banking titans, Natwest, Barclays, Lloyds and HSBC are gearing up for what promises to be an interesting half-year reporting season. Lloyds and Natwest will kick off earnings on July 24 and July 25 followed by peers Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered the following week. The first quarter was defined by President Donald Trump’s [...]
How can British businesses prepare for tariffs, and does Brexit help? July 19, 2025 The Insight in 15 is a new podcast from professional services firm KPMG offering a fresh perspective on major issues for business leaders. The 10-part series will cover a range of topics by cutting to the chase, setting out the risks and opportunities, and providing insights those at the top of big businesses can put [...]
Wall Street banking giants ride tariff rebound to booming revenue July 16, 2025 Wall Street’s banking titans have rounded off second-quarter earnings seasons largely breezing past analyst expectations as revenues boomed on the back of market volatility. The lenders continued a trend from the first-quarter with strong trading and investment banking revenues driving a robust performance. JP Morgan pocketed $45.7bn in revenue, outperforming its $44bn estimate. This came [...]
Robert Walters: Recruiter’s income slumps as tariff pressures bite July 15, 2025 Recruiter Robert Walters took a hit to income in the second quarter of 2025 as economic pressures weighed on hiring. The group recorded a 13 per cent slump in net fee income to £72.7m as “macroeconomic uncertainty became more pronounced”. Fee income from specialist professional recruitment fell 14 per cent to £60.7m. Meanwhile, recruitment outsourcing [...]
Bank of England interest rate cut ‘almost certain’ after poor growth July 11, 2025 Fresh growth figures have fuelled speculation of an August interest rate cut in a bid to give the waning UK economy a shot of life. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Friday the UK economy shrunk for the second consecutive month with a 0.1 per cent contraction in May. Deutsche Bank’s chief economist [...]