Sterling suffers as first Trump tariffs set for February introduction January 21, 2025 In response to questions about the potential timing of new tariffs, he said: "I think we'll do it 1 February".
Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio: UK economy at risk of ‘debt death spiral’ January 21, 2025 Ray Dalio, founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Capital, warned that the UK economy was at risk of a “debt death spiral” following the recent bout of bond market instability. In an interview with the Financial Times, Dalio warned that the government faced the prospect of having to borrow more and more from financial markets in [...]
Abrdn’s chief defends rebrand: ‘The name is the name’ January 21, 2025 Abrdn’s new chief executive defended the company’s rebrand from Aberdeen Standard Life and insisted its name will not change today despite a barrage of criticism over the ‘disemvowelment’ of the asset manager. “The name is the name and we will be continuing with it,” said Jason Windsor this morning, when asked whether he would consider [...]
Marshalls: Recovery in construction to ‘build throughout the year’ January 21, 2025 Housing industry supplier Marshalls has said it expects the construction industry to recover in 2025 after struggling over the past few years. But the firm still said its outlook remained “cautious” due to “continued market uncertainty” as well as the impact of an increase in costs from higher National Insurance contributions. Marshalls faces a £3m increase [...]
Pub chain Marston’s toasts record festive sales boost January 21, 2025 Pub chain Marston’s has reported a “solid” festive quarter and record sales on Christmas day in another good sign for the hospitality sector. Total retail sales in the 16 weeks to January 18 were up three per cent, driven by growth in both food and drink sales, Marston’s said. Like-for-like sales during the same period [...]
Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton: Ministers preparing to back London airports expansion January 21, 2025 The government is preparing to approve major expansion plans at three London airports, according to reports. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is poised to announce her support for additional runways at Heathrow and Gatwick, and a bid by London Luton to significantly increase passenger capacity, in a speech later this month, according to Bloomberg. Reeves’ speech has [...]
Abrdn: Scottish asset manager makes turnaround on flows January 21, 2025 Abrdn has reported “significant progress” on managing to keep hold of investor cash, as the Scottish asset manager continues on its cost cutting plan. The firm received £2.3bn into its institutional and retail wealth arm over the last quarter, pushing up 2024 to a positive year for new cash, it revealed in a trading update [...]
Mr Kipling mince pies deliver biggest-ever quarter for Premier Foods January 21, 2025 Mr Kipling remains the star seller for owner Premier Foods in both the UK and Australia, with mince pies and Brownie Bites more than doubling sales over Christmas. Premier Foods subsequently said it expected profit to be at the upper end of expectations – £180.1m to £186.4m – this year. Its share price rose by [...]
UK economy: Headache for Bank of England as wage growth accelerates January 21, 2025 Wage growth picked up towards the end of last year, new figures show, revealing the continued persistence of price pressures in the UK economy. According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), annual regular pay growth averaged 5.6 per cent in the three months to November, up from 5.2 per cent previously. [...]
Skills gap has ‘passed its peak’ but experts warn of a ‘hiring recession’ January 21, 2025 This was the first time since 2014 that the number of firms suffering from a scarcity of well-qualified candidates declined.