Workers will bear the brunt of tax rises, OBR says October 31, 2024 Workers will end up shouldering the majority of the government’s national insurance hike, the fiscal watchdog said, as Rachel Reeves admitted that pay growth will suffer due to her tax plans. The Chancellor announced tax rises worth £40bn yesterday, making it the biggest tax-raising fiscal event since 1993. Changes to employers’ national insurance made up [...]
Eurozone inflation rises faster than expected in October October 31, 2024 New 'flash' figures from Eurostat showed that inflation rose back up to 2.0 per cent, rising from 1.7 per cent in September and slightly higher than markets had expected.
AI is about to go nuclear – so the UK needs to, too October 31, 2024 As the artificial intelligence (AI) industry hurtles headlong towards what can only be described as nuclear-level growth, the UK needs a matching energy source to keep up. But data centres, responsible for powering the floods of new generative AI models and applications, rely on vast, consistent energy supplies to keep their servers ticking. According to [...]
Game developer targets London for dual listing to expand Western reach October 31, 2024 Winking Studios, a Singapore-based game development giant, has announced plans to list on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market, as it looks to strengthen its foothold in Western markets. Already listed on Singapore’s Catalist board, Winking says the dual listing will allow it to tap into the UK’s capital-rich tech investor pool and drive growth [...]
Sainsbury’s sells Argos credit cards for £720m in financial services retreat October 31, 2024 Sainsbury’s has struck a deal to sell its Argos credit card portfolio for roughly £720m as the supermarket withdraws further from financial services to focus on retail.
Hotel group PPHE reports double-digit growth after strong summer October 31, 2024 Hospitality real estate group PPHE has reported strong growth driven by higher occupancy rates in central and eastern Europe. The LSE-listed company posted record revenue of €125.4m (£104.8m), an increase of €12.6m, or 11 per cent, year on year. The firm, which is registered in Guernsey, said that demand continued to increase for its city centre hotels [...]
Labour’s inheritance tax reforms ‘threaten the very fabric of the countryside’ October 31, 2024 In yesterday's Budget, the Chancellor announced a sweeping overhaul of the inheritance tax system, including changes to a relief which had allowed agricultural land to be passed on tax-free.
Microsoft and Meta stocks slip as investors demand more October 31, 2024 Microsoft and Meta stocks have tumbled in after-hours trading despite both tech giants posting better-than-expected results yesterday. Microsoft reported a 16 per cent revenue increase to $65.6bn (£50.5bn) against a forecasted $64.5bn (£49.7bn), fuelled by its cloud services which grew by 33 per cent. Earnings per share (EPS) came in at $3.30 (£2.54), easily beating [...]
Ocado announces new chair sooner than expected October 31, 2024 Ocado has announced KKR senior advisor Adam Warby will succeed Rick Haythornthwaite as its chairman in December. As well as working for KKR, Warby also serves as chair of management consultant firm Heidrick & Struggles, and previously held various positions at Microsoft and IBM. Earlier this year, Ocado said Haythornthwaite would step down to focus [...]
Smith & Nephew slashes guidance as China slowdown continues October 31, 2024 Hip and knee implant maker Smith & Nephew has cut its full-year guidance as it continues to grapple with a slowdown in China. It booked third quarter revenue of $1.4bn (£1.08bn), up four per cent year on year, but Chinese sales dragged as the region experienced “worse than expected headwinds” across the surgical businesses. The [...]
