Our polling shows hope of ‘change’ has turned to despair for Labour January 7, 2025 The inaugural City AM / Freshwater Strategy poll makes grim reading for Keir Starmer as almost three-quarters believe the UK is heading in the wrong direction The inaugural City AM / Freshwater Strategy poll makes grim reading for Keir Starmer. As the Prime Minister returns from the Madeira sun to snowy London, he is met [...]
Sell Asos and buy Currys says City broker January 6, 2025 Analysts have backed Currys as their most preferred consumer stock of the year whilst warning investors away from struggling online marketplace Asos. Panmure Liberum analysts set a target price for Currys at 155p versus its current price of 94.25p. The tech retailer had a strong run last year, with its stock up more than 90 [...]
UK firms shed jobs at fastest rate in three years amid payroll hikes January 6, 2025 Weak demand and higher payroll costs have led to the steepest decline in service sector jobs since January 2021, according to a new survey. Nearly a quarter of survey respondents reported a fall in workforce levels, while 12 per cent signalled a rise, data from the S&P Global UK Services PMI showed. “Service providers widely [...]
UK economy to stage ‘welcome recovery’ thanks to consumer rebound January 6, 2025 The firm forecast that GDP will increase by 1.7 per cent over 2025, double the 0.8 per cent expansion anticipated for 2024.
Business confidence slumps in ‘pressure cooker’ of higher taxes January 6, 2025 The British Chamber of Commerce's quarterly survey showed that 63 per cent of firms cited tax as a worry in the final quarter of last year, up from 48 per cent in the third quarter.
Why we don’t know how much a ‘National Care Service’ could cost UK January 3, 2025 Health secretary Wes Streeting has unveiled the government’s latest move towards reform of the UK’s social care system. Taking the form of an independent commission into the issue, led by Baroness Louise Casey, the review – reporting in 2026 and 2028 – will aim to build “cross-party consensus” for the creation of a new National [...]
FTSE 100 to outperform S&P 500 in 2025 says Wall Street January 3, 2025 Equity analysts have predicted that the FTSE 100 will have a record year in 2025, helped by lower interest rates and higher oil prices. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, Wall Street analysts believe the UK’s flagship blue-chip index will jump 15 per cent in 2025, its best year since 2009. In 2024, the index [...]
Firms hiring low-wage workers set for tax bill hike, CPS think tank warns January 3, 2025 The cost of employing low-wage workers is set to hit a record high in 2025, according to new analysis. Businesses employing low-wage workers will see their tax bills soar, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has warned, after research found the rise in employer’s national insurance contributions (NICs) led to a 60 per cent tax [...]
Spectre of another Labour tax raid haunts savers January 2, 2025 83 per cent of customers surveyed by the retail investment platform said they were either very concerned or somewhat concerned about tax increases in 2025.
Manufacturing downturn deepens as firms brace for national insurance rise January 2, 2025 Activity in the UK’s manufacturing sector fell to its lowest level in nearly a year, a new survey shows, as businesses brace for the impact of the government’s first Budget. According to S&P’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI), factory output, new orders and employment, all fell at accelerated rates in December. This pushed the overall [...]