New BMW M3: why the next one arrives as both a 1,000bhp EV and a petrol straight-six July 12, 2026 BMW has confirmed the next M3 will come in electric and petrol versions. It looks like a simple product decision, but it says far more about an industry still unsure what a performance car should be in the electric age. For years the industry told a tidy story about all this. Electrification would arrive, petrol [...]
Porsche’s Toy Story 911s prove luxury carmakers are selling stories as much as sports cars July 11, 2026 Porsche’s trio of Toy Story-inspired 911s will never reach a showroom, yet they may be among its most effective creations of the year. They show how premium car brands increasingly compete on cultural relevance as much as engineering. Luxury carmakers have spent decades convincing us that engineering is their greatest asset. The best of them [...]
Rachel Reeves’ legacy of tinkering with the City is not enough, says Mel Stride July 9, 2026 Sir Mel Stride has branded Rachel Reeves’ legacy in government as mere “tinkering” with City reform as the top Tory predicted her successor will create a “hostile” environment for the banking sector. In an interview with City AM, the shadow Chancellor branded Reeves’ two-years in the Treasury as “managerial incrementalism,” adding it was “not enough”. [...]
FTSE 100 property firm slams ‘opportunistic, one-sided, inadequate’ takeover offer July 8, 2026 Real estate investment trust Segro has issued a strongly-worded rebuttal of the £12.6bn takeover bid tabled by its US rival. In a scathing updated to investors, the FTSE 100 property firm branded Prologis’s offer “opportunistic, one-sided and inadequate”, after the American investment behemoth proposed combining the two companies into a mammoth investment trust last month. [...]
Takeovers aren’t the reason the London Stock Exchange is shrinking July 8, 2026 Takeovers like Schroders and Tate & Lyle grab the headlines but the far bigger problem for London is that there aren’t enough good companies arriving to replace them, says Henrik Persson There is a familiar account of London’s stock market malaise. UK listed companies are cheap and deeper-pocketed overseas buyers have noticed. Each new approach [...]
Quaise Energy Raises $134 Million in Initial Close of Series B to Build World’s First Superhot Geothermal Power Plant July 7, 2026 Prelude Ventures led the round, with participation from JERA Co., Inc., Japan's largest power generation company, and Idemitsu Kosan, one of Japan's largest integrated energy companies Series B equity is the first component of a diverse financing that includes project-level capital and debt Quaise's millimeter wave drilling system is approaching one kilometer of depth at its Central Texas field site Series B proceeds fund Project Obsidian in Central Oregon, the world’s first commercial superhot geothermal power plant
South Korea is the canary in the coalmine of the AI boom July 7, 2026 South Korea’s experiment with leveraged single-stock ETFs has shown how quickly passive investing, concentrated markets and retail speculation can feed on one another, says Helen Thomas The new frontier for the AI boom isn’t Silicon Valley but South Korea. While the country has long been home to technology giants such as Samsung Electronics, the country’s [...]
House prices rise as mortgage rates ease from Iran war highs July 7, 2026 House prices inched up in June as mortgage rates softened following a sharp spike in response to the Iran war. The average UK property price rose by 0.2 per cent in June to £299,330, compared to a 0.2 per cent fall in May, according to the Lloyds house price index. Inflationary fears and expectation of [...]
Britain set to miss net-zero car targets despite record electric vehicle sales July 6, 2026 Britain is set to miss its net-zero emission target for cars despite Electric vehicles (EVs) claiming a record share of the UK new car market in June, fuelled by billions of pounds in discounts. Battery EVs accounted for 30 per cent of all new cars registered last month – the highest monthly share of the [...]
UK investors turn to bonds as equities valuations continue to stretch July 6, 2026 UK investors piled into bonds in June, as soaring valuations in equity markets has left many investors looking to avoid heightened risk and stretched value. Bond funds attracted over £1bn of net inflows last month, making it third-strongest on record for fixed income funds, according to the latest data from Calastone. The streak came as [...]