By: Samuel Norman

Senior City Reporter Samuel is a Senior City Reporter covering banking and fintech as well as stories on capital markets and economics. He also leads on City AM's morning liveblog from 7am everyday. He has previously written for the Daily Mail and The i Paper and worked for Sky News as an election stringer. He enjoys writing in-depth analysis of major blue-chip firms and start-ups and also industry trends. He can be contacted at samuel.norman@cityam.com and posts on LinkedIn and X at x.com/samnormanwrites.

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HSBC’s ‘never had it so good’ say Barclays analysts

March 4, 2025

Barclays analysts have said HSBC “never had it so good” as they predicted further growth and upsides for the FTSE 100 lender. Following the lender’s strong full-year performance, the analysts upgraded HSBC’s share price target by 28 per cent to 1,200p. The lender pocketed a pre-tax profit of £25.6bn in 2024, up from £24bn in [...]
HSBC searches for new UK boss following reshuffle

March 4, 2025

Europe’s biggest lender HSBC is searching for a new UK boss following current chief executive Ian Stuart’s departure to a new role. Stuart led its UK business for eight years and is set to move to the bank’s operating committee. Following his successor’s appointment, Stuart will take the newly created title of group customer and [...]
Lloyds shares worth 70p say analysts

March 4, 2025

Peel Hunt analysts have raised their price target on Lloyds shares by 17 per cent to 70p and slapped a ‘Hold’ rating on the FTSE 100 lender. The analysts cited strengthening income trends and reduced sensitivity to interest rates as the top factors driving the bank’s “top-line performance.” The banking giant‘s full-year profits fell 20 per [...]
Abrdn changes name back to Aberdeen and swings back to profit

March 4, 2025

Abrdn has rounded out a bumper year with a return to profit and a total revamp of its brand. The company announced it will change its name back to Aberdeen as it begins the search for its next chairman, who will succeed Sir Douglas Flint. Group chief executive Jason Windsor said: “We are changing our [...]
Government urged to back manufacturers’ growth ambitions

March 4, 2025

The Government has been urged to back small and medium-sized (SME) manufacturers’ growth ambitions after fresh data showed it could give the economy an £83bn boost. Make UK and Citivas’ new report proposes that if SME manufacturers hit their targets the UK’s manufacturing sector would boom to 7th in the world. It currently stands at [...]
Small businesses forced to raise prices ahead of national insurance jump

March 3, 2025

The price of small businesses’ goods and services is set to be the latest victim of Rachel Reeves’ national insurance hike, a new survey has revealed. More than four-in-ten of the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) have said the government’s increase in National Insurance Contributions (NIC) for employers will negatively impact them. Nearly a [...]
Businesses are ditching card terminals for smart phones

March 3, 2025

New data has revealed that the use of tap-to-phone technology—where businesses turn smartphones into point-of-sale devices (POS)—has boomed over the last year. In the UK, tap-to-phone adoption has exploded by 320 per cent in the last 12 months, compared to the global average growth rate of 200 per cent. Visa research showed that small businesses [...]
One in five Brits in ‘high financial stress’ as economic woes deepen

March 3, 2025

Public confidence in the UK economy has taken another hit, with the latest City AM Freshwater Strategy poll showing little hope for the near future. The polling revealed nearly one in five voters, 18 per cent, could not pay an unexpected £500 bill, categorising them as in “high financial stress”. 35 per cent said their [...]
Manufacturing job cuts accelerate ahead of national insurance hike

March 3, 2025

Activity in the UK’s manufacturing sector dropped to its lowest level in fourteen months, a new survey has revealed, with lower demand and weak confidence plaguing the industry. The S&P’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed downturns deepened as firms braced for changes made in the Government’s budget to be enacted. The index stood at [...]
FTSE 100 hits all-time high as defence stocks soar

March 3, 2025

The FTSE 100 index rallied to an all-time high on Monday morning, bolstered by surging defence stocks as European countries signalled their willingness to up defence spending over the weekend. The UK’s blue-chip index rose 0.4 per cent or 32 points after the market opened. BAE Systems led the market higher. The firm’s stock jumped [...]

Jenrick pledges reform for small businesses

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The way Dolly Parton announced her death is an inspiration to us all

By: Samuel Norman

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