Zurich makes £7.7bn play for Beazley after FTSE 100 firm rejected first offer insurance Zurich Insurance Group has launched its second public pursuit of Lloyd’s of London prominent underwriter Beazley with a revised proposal at 1.280 pence per share, valuing the firm at just under £8bn. At the start of the month, Zurich privately submitted a proposal to the Beazley board to acquire 100 per cent of the company [...]
Why are London’s house sellers losing money? Property London’s housing market is known for offering vast mansions and leafy avenues to wealthy buyers from across the world. So why are more sellers in the capital suffering losses than anywhere in the country? It is London’s most affluent and sought-after locations where the profitability of home-selling is taking the biggest hit, with Chelsea and [...]
Casks of Distinction: Rare whisky for drinking, not investment Whisky Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. Established in 2017, Casks of Distinction was created by Diageo to offer something different for the world’s most devoted whisky collectors – 12 unique casks selected from the group’s vast whisky collection known as “The Twelve.“ The drinks giant owns around 30 distilleries across Scotland [...]
Labour policy is making it harder to sell a flat in London January 15, 2026 Lowering the threshold for Stamp Duty and locking out first-time buyers at the same time as introducing legislation that makes it economically nonviable to be a landlord has led to a glut of London flats on the market, says Simon Gerrard Londoners were the most likely to have lost money when selling their property in [...]
House prices expected to rise in 2026 after December dip January 8, 2026 UK house prices slipped slightly in December, as affordability issues and the fallout from the Autumn Budget dampened buyer appetite, but industry figures expect the market to pick up in 2026. House prices fell 0.6 per cent in the final month of 2025, bringing prices down by a further £1,789, following a 0.1 per cent [...]
British investors fled the stock market at a record rate in 2025 January 7, 2026 British investors pulled out of the stock market at a record pace last year, as Budget uncertainty sparked a flight to safe haven assets. Equity fund outflows hit £6.7bn in 2025, twice the rate suffered in 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum, where outflows reached £3.3bn, according to global funds network Calastone. December marked [...]
£13bn streaming boom defies sluggish UK economy January 7, 2026 The UK’s digital entertainment sector emerges as a rare diamond in the rough for a stuttering national economy, with revenues surging more than four times faster than sluggish GDP growth in 2025. Streaming services and retail drove UK revenues from video, music and games to new highs of £13.3bn, according to a recent report by [...]
Knight Frank appointed for bumper Brighton Palace Pier sale January 2, 2026 Knight Frank has been instructed on the sale of Brighton Palace Pier, two months after the Grade II-listed landmark’s owners revealed their plans to offload the amusement park amid a barrage of economic headwinds. The Brighton Pier Group appointed the property giant to seek a buyer for the coastal attraction, which its operator said in [...]
Chery Tiggo 9 CSH review: 7-seat family SUV goes big on value January 1, 2026 Chery is the biggest car company you’ve never heard of. It has been China’s top automotive exporter for the past 22 years, selling vehicles in countries as far-flung as Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Israel and Turkey. Now, Chery has finally planted its flag on British soil – and its progress so far suggests it won’t remain [...]
Private equity firms sell assets to themselves at a record rate in 2025 December 30, 2025 Private equity firms sold companies to themselves at an unprecedented rate this year, using a controversial tactic to hold on to assets as managers struggled to find buyers or list their investments. First reported in the Financial Times, roughly a fifth of all private equity (PE) sales in 2025 involved groups raising money from new [...]