HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds: Lenders bank on interest rate cut as mortgage ‘price war’ heats up April 17, 2025 Top UK lenders are offering more mortgages to prospective house buyers, the Bank of England has revealed, as falling interest rates stir up a “price war” on the high street. The Bank’s credit conditions survey revealed that the burgeoning supply of mortgages would come against a levelling off in demand in the three months to [...]
Workspace: Lettings activity surges but CEO warns on economic uncertainty April 17, 2025 Workspace lettings activity in Q4 was up around 15 per cent of the same quarter in the previous year, as the group competed for over £10m worth of new rentals
Weak dollar restricting market rebound, say Barclays analysts April 16, 2025 A weakened dollar may prohibit the full recovery of global markets, analysts have warned, as investors continue to suffer the fallout from the Trump tariff mayhem. The DXY index, which tracks the dollar’s value against a basket of currencies, sank to its lowest in three years during Monday trading. This came after markets plunged following [...]
FCA to rip 140 pages out of handbook in deregulation drive April 16, 2025 The UK’s financial watchdog has vowed to rip scores of pages from its handbook as it slashes red tape in a drive to boost growth. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said as many as 140 pages will be removed from the lengthy handbook, as it opened a consultation on scrapping data collection requirements. The move [...]
WH Smith: High street profit slumps ahead of Modella sale April 16, 2025 WHSmith’s high street division has reported a significant drop in trading profit, falling by over 30 per cent as it prepares for its sale to private equity firm Modella Capitlal. The retailer’s high street business delivered a profit of £15m for the six months to Febuary 28, 2025, down from £22m in the same period [...]
Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs: Wall Street cashes in on market volatility April 15, 2025 Wall Street’s banking giants pocketed record revenues in the first quarter of 2025 as market volatility ramped up. Top lenders were able to smash profit expectations after reaping the rewards of a trading boom caused by President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff agenda. Trump’s bait-and-switch on tariffs triggered countless sell-offs as traders across the globe ditched [...]
London’s beloved corner shops can’t survive more red tape April 15, 2025 Red tape, business rates and vape bans are at risk of pushing corner shops to the brink, writes Andrew Boff.
Derby, Bourbon and Gatsby: Louisville’s Triple Crown April 15, 2025 THERE’s a particular kind of energy that buzzes through Louisville in spring. It’s part old-money elegance, part bourbon-infused swagger. And this year, there’s a distinct whiff of 1920’s glamour in the air. Why? Because Louisville isn’t just hosting the 151st Kentucky Derby — it’s also toasting 100 years of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s [...]
British Steel: What is at stake? April 14, 2025 Government officials were in a race on Monday to secure the critical supply of materials needed to keep British Steel’s two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe running. The site’s closure would spell the end of the final hub in the UK capable of producing virgin steel, making it the only member of the G7 unable to [...]
Goldman Sachs: Profit jumps after record quarter for traders April 14, 2025 Goldman Sachs posted a 15 per cent jump in first-quarter profit. The Wall Street giant’s revenue was boosted by record equities trading amid market volatility. The bank’s first-quarter net revenue was $15.06 bn (£11.4bn), surpassing the analyst consensus of $14.8bn (£11.2bn). Net earnings were $4.74bn (£3.6bn). Equity-trading revenue rose 27 per cent from the previous [...]