Wicked London stage show soars to record revenue January 2, 2025 The West End production of Wicked, prequel to MGM classic The Wizard of Oz, reported its revenue rose 4.5 per cent to a record £27.8m last year. The rise was thanks to hype for the movie based on it, which yesterday became the highest-earning musical adaptation of all time. Mega stars Ariana Grande and Jeff [...]
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 [...]
FTSE 100 climbs into the green on the back of weaker pound January 2, 2025 The shaky start comes amid widespread uncertainty about the path for the global economy in the new year.
Where did UK house prices rise fastest in 2024? January 2, 2025 Nationwide's house price index showed that house prices rose 4.7 per cent over the year-to-December. Across 2023 house prices fell 1.8 per cent, according to the building society.
IAG, Rolls-Royce and Natwest: The FTSE 100’s winners of 2024 December 31, 2024 The FTSE 100 returned 5.8 per cent in 2024, but under the surface, a clear gap has emerged between the blue-chip index’s winners and losers. Quite a few stocks have fallen out of London’s main index, with companies like Burberry and Ocado being replaced by giants like Games Workshop and Alliance Witan. While around half [...]
How much will the UK economy grow in 2025? December 31, 2024 At the beginning of the year, most forecasters expected that the UK would suffer another year of stagnation.
FTSE 100 records best performance since 2021 December 31, 2024 The FTSE 100 returned just 5.8 per cent in 2024, despite a last-minute selloff in the final weeks of December. Despite hopes of a ‘Santa rally’ in December, the FTSE fell 1.7 per cent in the month. However, this will be its best year since 2021. That year, the blue-chip index returned 14.3 per cent, [...]
How fast will the Bank of England cut interest rates in 2025? December 31, 2024 The pace at which the Bank of England cuts interest rates in 2025 will be a major focus for financial markets in 2025, just like it was in 2024.
London’s share of global IPO market plunges but City shines in one area December 31, 2024 The proceeds from global initial public offerings (IPOs) sank three per cent in 2024 to its lowest value since 2008, with the UK falling to 35th among all stock exchanges. There were 1,145 IPOs globally in 2024, compared to 1,271 in the year before, data from the London Stock Exchange provided to City AM revealed. [...]
KPMG: UK households plan to splash the cash in 2025 December 31, 2024 The positive picture from households contrasted with a more gloomy view about the state of the economy more broadly.