Consumers’ outlook on the economy drops for fifth month in a row February 20, 2025 Consumer confidence has dipped again in the UK, with Brits’ outlook on the state of the economy dropping for the fifth month in a row. Public expectations for the economy over the next three months worsened to -37 in February, down from -34 in January. Brits’ personal financial outlook dropped to -11 in February, down [...]
Reeves told to improve investment incentives by industry bosses February 19, 2025 Rachel Reeves has been told by top global financial firms she needs to ease investment taxes, sources told Reuters. In a meeting with executives from JPMorgan, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citi, Fidelity, Schroders and abrdn on Wednesday, Reeves was told to improve tax incentives for UK consumers. The latest summit in Reeves’ bid for [...]
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.
HSBC job cuts and bonuses expected on Friday February 19, 2025 HSBC is set to axe a number of investment bankers this Friday whilst rewarding some with bonuses, sources told City AM. Amidst the FTSE 100 giant’s restructure, employees are expecting updates this week on their role’s future with many now looking to Friday – the same day pencilled in for bonuses. According to sources close [...]
How will inflation impact Bank of England interest rate decisions February 19, 2025 The first inflation figures of the year confirmed what many had already known: Inflation will rise significantly in 2025.
Vitality: Health and life insurer slips into the red despite £100m sales boost February 19, 2025 Health and life insurer Vitality slipped into the red despite its revenue surging by almost £100m during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered group has posted a loss before income tax of £168,000 for the 12 months to 30 June, 2024, after having achieved a profit of £37.9m in the prior [...]
Conduit Holdings shrugs off catastrophe losses February 19, 2025 Despite rising catastrophe claims, Conduit Holdings, the Bermuda-based reinsurance business, has reported a jump in gross premiums written for the 2024 financial year. Gross premiums written reached $1.16bn (£917m), a 24.8 per cent increase on the prior year, while the firm delivered a return on equity of 12.7 per cent, down from 22 per cent [...]
HSBC shares dip after profit beats expectations February 19, 2025 HSBC surpassed analyst profit expectations in its annual results as its new boss reiterated its focus on slashing costs. The FTSE 100 lender published its first set of results with Georges Elhedery at the helm this morning, covering the fourth quarter and full-year 2024. Shares in the banking giant rose one per cent following market open, [...]
Jet2 warns of £45m hit from tax hikes and green levies February 19, 2025 Jet2 has reported a boost in profit before tax but warned margins may come under pressure in the near future due to a raft of cost pressures. The group operates Jet2.com, the UK’s third largest airline by number of passengers flown and Jet2holidays, the UK’s leading provider of ATOL protected package holidays. Jet2 expects to [...]
‘Alarm bells’ for Bank of England as inflation accelerates to three per cent February 19, 2025 Inflation picked up faster than expected at the start of the year, official data shows, as concerns grow about the persistence of price pressures in the economy. The headline rate of inflation picked up to 3.0 per cent in January, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was up from [...]