FCA fines London Metal Exchange £9.2m over 2022 nickel volatility March 20, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority handed a landmark £9.2m fine to the London Metal Exchange after it failed to prevent extreme volatility in the nickel market in March 2022. In its first ever enforcement action against an investment exchange, the FCA criticised the exchange’s systems and controls that did not ensure “orderly trading under conditions of [...]
Rathbones chief Paul Stockton retires March 20, 2025 Rathbones group chief executive Paul Stockton is set to retire from his role after six years in the job. Stockton, who has worked at the asset manager for the last 16 years, will step down from the firm at the end of September, the company’s said today. He will be succeeded by Jonathan Sorrell who [...]
Investec expects profit bounce in full-year results March 20, 2025 Investec has said it expects adjusted operating profit to be ahead of last year’s figures, coming in as high as £956m. In a trading statement, the FTSE 250 bank and wealth manager said adjusted operating profit for the year was forecast to come in between £888m and £956m, compared to last year’s figure of £884.5m. [...]
Prudential: FTSE 100 insurer smashes profit expectations March 20, 2025 FTSE 100 insurer Prudential beat profit expectations amid news it is considering spinning off its Indian asset management business. The firm reported adjusted operating profit before tax of $3.1bn (£2.4bn), up 10 per cent and above analyst expectations of $3bn, it revealed in its full-year results. As expected by analysts, Prudential also increased its dividend [...]
Baillie Gifford slashes Tesla stake as investor calls on Musk to step down March 19, 2025 Baillie Gifford has slashed its stake in Tesla to a record low as a major shareholder has called on CEO Elon Musk to step down from the company. The Edinburgh-based investment manager first invested in Musk’s electric car company in 2013 and has been a strong backer of the billionaire’s firms ever since. However, a [...]
Will Rachel Reeves hike taxes in her first Spring Statement? March 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to make her first Spring Statement next week, and rumours are starting to swirl that the tax hikes could be on the cards as she tries to get the government debt under control. Given the Chancellor’s commitment to just one major fiscal event a year the Spring Statement is intended [...]
Gold just broke another record: Is it a bubble? March 19, 2025 Gold prices hit another record high this morning, reaching a peak of $3,046 (£2,349) just days after finally breaking the $3,000 barrier. The price of the precious metal has roughly doubled since the start of this decade, leading many to question whether gold can continue climbing. The rise in prices has come amid Middle East [...]
Softcat beats analyst expectations as profit jumps March 19, 2025 UK tech infrastructure firm Softcat beat analyst expectations last year as profit growth accelerated into the double digits over the last six months of the year. Gross profit at the firm increased by 12.1 per cent to £220.2m, above analyst expectations of £218.3m, Softcat revealed in its half-year report. Meanwhile, operating profit climbed 10.4 per [...]
M&G slumps to loss as outflows accelerate March 19, 2025 M&G has reported a jump in outflows for 2024. The insurer and asset manager reported outflows of £9.5bn throughout 2024, compared to £4.7bn in 2023, it revealed in its annual results. Outflows were recorded from every arm of the firm. Its traditional Life business was hit hardest, with outflows of £4.8bn during the year. Meanwhile, [...]
UK investors up home bias in exodus from US stocks March 18, 2025 British investors continued upping their ‘home bias’ for UK stocks over the last year while withdrawing from US equities, reacting to fears of a global trade war and faltering US economy. Average UK allocation increased from 19 per cent to 21 per cent over the past year, whilst US holdings fell from 45 per cent [...]
