What happened when Latin America’s most free economy elected a socialist? February 20, 2025 Chile was the most capitalist country in Latin America and had prospered as a result. But since the election of socialist Gabriel Boric in 2021, all that has changed, says Rainer Zitelmann My trip around the world took me to Chile twice, in May 2022 and November 2023. After you’ve been to countries like Colombia, [...]
London house prices stagnant in 2024 February 19, 2025 This meant the average property in the capital remained stuck at £549,000. Factoring in inflation, London properties lost 2.7 per cent of their value.
Government backtracks on tax hike for private equity firms February 18, 2025 The government has reversed a decision to hike taxes on private equity firms by ditching changes to the tax treatment of members at limited liability partnerships (LLPs). The new guidelines, which were released last year, targeted salaried members on what tax contribution they pay, which affected the partner compensation at most firms. Before the new changes, members [...]
Unilever: Amsterdam chosen for primary ice cream listing in blow for London February 13, 2025 Shares in Dove and Marmite maker Unilever have dipped despite an uptick in profit, with some additional concern as London will miss out on the primary listing of its ice cream arm. Shares dipped more than seven per cent in early trades due to “exceptionally weak” guidance, analysts said. “Unfortunately for Unilever… the market doesn’t tend [...]
Barclays beats expectations after Tesco Bank takeover February 13, 2025 Barclays surpassed analyst expectations in its annual results report on Thursday, after a strong year for its investment banking arm and day one benefits of its Tesco Bank takeover. The FTSE 100 bank reported a pretax profit of £1.7bn in the fourth quarter, ahead of the £1.62bn expected by analysts. For 2024 as a whole, the [...]
Rich people’s problems: Confidence in economy hits record low among wealthy Brits February 13, 2025 Confidence in the economy among high net worth Brits has tanked since the election of a Labour government last summer, according to data from the Saltus Wealth Index. The study, which questioned 2,000 people in the UK with assets of £250,000 or more, revealed just under half – 48 per cent – of these so-called [...]
What on earth is a ‘SIPP’?! A jargon-free guide on how it could help boost your ‘future you’ fund February 12, 2025 Camilla Esmund is a senior manager at Interactive Investor, the UK’s second largest platform for private investors Don’t be put off by the acronym – a ‘SIPP’ stands for a self-invested personal pension; a type of personal pension which gives you greater control over your retirement planning. If you haven’t heard of them, you’re not [...]
Retail traders scared off UK investing by Rachel Reeves’ Budget February 11, 2025 Retail traders have been scared off from investing in the UK market in response to the most recent Budget from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, a new survey has found. More than a quarter of retail investors (26 per cent) have cut their investment in the UK in response to the Budget, data from Graniteshares showed. One [...]
BP to target shareholder returns as firm plans fundamental reset February 11, 2025 Oil and gas giant BP has promised to “fundamentally reset” its strategy and improve its performance after profit crashed last year. On Tuesday, the group reported a near 50 per cent decline in profit for the fourth quarter due to a collapse in profit at its refining arm. The results prompted boss Murray Auchincloss to [...]
Post-Brexit immigration wave could cost Brits £234bn February 11, 2025 The City of London is an immigration success story, but most of those who have entered the country since we ‘took back control’ of our borders will never pay enough tax to cover the cost of the public services and welfare they consume, representing a net fiscal cost of £8,200 for every UK household, says [...]