Advertising giants’ share prices tumble as Big Tech swallows up ad spend Business The scale of the difficulties facing the advertising market was laid bare on Monday after two London-listed industry titans saw their share prices plummet after they slashed profit and sales expectations. M&C Saatchi’s share price tumbled a staggering 11.9 per cent to 111p, with shares down 36.9 per cent this year to date, while shares [...]
Gold to glitter past $4,000 after year of political jitters Investing In a year defined by geopolitical turmoil, gold has not stopped glittering. The yellow metal started the year near $2669 and has since soared to $3900 – a rise of over 45 per cent. The asset now looks set to cross the $4,000 landmark for the first time with the latest rally triggered by the [...]
Gold seals record high as Trump heads for government showdown Investing Gold has once again smashed a record high, spurred on by tensions in the US as President Donald Trump heads for a showdown with congressional members. The yellow metal breezed past the $3,800 mark this morning with a 1.2 per cent gain as investors flocked to the safe haven asset whilst political tensions in Washington [...]
Peter Kyle defends UK free speech record after US report attacks Online Safety Act August 14, 2025 Tech secretary Peter Kyle has pushed back against a damning US government report accusing the UK of backsliding on human rights and curbing freedom of expression under Labour. The annual State Department dossier, published on Tuesday, warned that Britain’s human rights record had “worsened during the year” amid “serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, and [...]
Are nicotine pouches the future of Big Tobacco? August 14, 2025 Nicotine pouches are all the rage at the moment. Sometimes erroneously described as ‘snus’ – this only refers to tobacco-based products – the pouches are mainstay of Square Mile pubs, start-up offices and even Premier League football pitches. But are they a passing fad, or the new cornerstone of ‘Big Tobacco’? And, for an industry [...]
Reeves to say global trade should provide ‘security for working people’ April 24, 2025 Rachel Reeves will tell foreign finance ministers that global trade should provide “security for working people” as she prepares for talks with her US counterpart. The Chancellor is in Washington for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) spring meeting of finance ministers from the G7 and G20, and is due to sit down with US Treasury [...]
US trade talks: Rachel Reeves insists UK won’t be ‘relaxing’ food standards April 23, 2025 Rachel Reeves has insisted the UK won’t be “relaxing” its food standards in a bid to secure a trade deal with the US. The Chancellor, who is in Washington DC for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings, spoke ahead of her expected talks with US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Asked whether the UK government [...]
Ukraine and Russia agree to prisoner swap as Putin announces ceasefire April 19, 2025 Russia and Ukraine said on Saturday they had swapped hundreds of prisoners in the largest exchange since the Russian full-scale invasion started over three years ago. Russia’s ministry of defence said that 246 Russian service members were returned from territory controlled by Kyiv and that, “as a gesture of goodwill”, 31 wounded Ukrainian prisoners of [...]
Iran and US prepare for second round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme April 19, 2025 Iran and the US are preparing for a second round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme. The talks in Rome over Easter weekend will again hinge on US billionaire Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. That talks are even happening represents a historic moment, given [...]
Trump says US may ‘take a pass’ from Ukraine talks if they prove too difficult April 19, 2025 Donald Trump has said the US could “take a pass” on Ukraine peace talks if they become too difficult but added he thought there was a “good chance” of succeeding. Sir Keir Starmer discussed Ukraine with the US president in a phone call on Friday, Downing Street said, but did not give further details. Trump’s [...]