‘We’d love an apprentice – but the government has made it too expensive’ August 26, 2026 Small companies around Britain are facing a cost of business crisis. Bowers & Jones, an award-winning manufacturing firm, tells City AM that changes to the minimum wage have priced it out of employing apprentices. When Jane Somerville led a management buyout of her manufacturing firm and shifted its entire factory across the West Midlands in [...]
As it happened: Antofagasta leads FTSE 100 rally; oil falls as US-Iran deal ‘close’ August 26, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index slipped on Wednesday morning, dragged down by oil majors BP and Shell, before recovering later in the day to be level with Tuesday’s close. Brent crude – the international benchmark – fell by more than two per cent on Wednesday to $86 [...]
Why investors shouldn’t rush to buy the next blockbuster IPO August 26, 2026 IPOs get investors frothing at the mouth, yet the evidence suggests they should be viewed with greater caution, writes Yves Bonzon.
That women ‘lack confidence to invest’ is a lazy answer to a major problem August 26, 2026 Explaining away the gender investment gap as a matter of confidence has shifted responsibility away from the industry and onto women.
State pension set to pile pain on next generation of taxpayers, Healey warned August 26, 2026 The state pension is set to be the main driver of tax for the next generation of taxpayers, a Labour-linked think tank has warned in a paper that urged Chancellor John Healey to levy higher charges on wealth rather than income. New research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the former employer of [...]
Can the Capital Access Window finally revive AIM? August 25, 2026 August is usually a sleepy time for capital markets. Investors head off on their summer jaunts, firms take a breath after a frenzy of results in late July and advisors start mapping out back-to-school plans for September. Not so in the world of regulation. This year, Britain’s watchdogs have introduced what could prove one of [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 jumps in best streak since May; Vistry, Melrose lead risers August 25, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The blue-chip index jumped on Tuesday to extend its best winning streak since May. Melrose Industries led the FTSE 100 after the completion of a probe into a chemical incident in California, while Vistry gained 18 per cent on the FTSE 250 after winning cash in [...]
An overly complicated tax system is holding the UK back August 25, 2026 Tax simplification should be integral to the government’s growth agenda, writes BDO head of tax Adam Frais.
Top business group urges Healey to cut NICs to ‘solve Neets crisis’ August 25, 2026 One of Britain’s most influential business bodies has urged Chancellor John Healey to cut taxes for employers at the Budget in order to “solve” the crisis facing Neets, who are young people not in employment, education or training. In a report published on Tuesday, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said Britain’s youth unemployment crisis [...]
European private credit booms as private equity firms are forced to refinance August 24, 2026 Lending by European private credit firms hit a record-high in the first half of the year as a subdued dealmaking environment forced private equity firms to pause sale processes and renegotiate their portfolio companies’ debt, new data suggests. The value of direct lending across the continent hit €63.2bn (£54.1bn) in the first six months of [...]