UK construction activity falls sharply as confidence plunges February 6, 2025 UK construction activity fell sharply in January, ending a 10-month streak of expansion as higher borrowing costs, gloomy economic prospects and weak client confidence hit the sector. S&P Global’s UK Construction Purchasing Managers Index fell to 48.1 last month, down from 53.3 in December and well below the 53.4 expected by analysts. “The overall construction [...]
County cricket windfall from Hundred sale must be spent properly February 6, 2025 With every county cricket club set to profit to the tune of millions from the Hundred sale, the ECB must ensure the windfall is money well spent. I dreamt last night that DeepSeek bought my favourite football club. Trouble was that the stadium PA played Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur as the players took to the [...]
Panmure Liberum: Bank of England to cut interest rates six times in 2025 February 5, 2025 Simon French, head of research at Panmure Liberum, expects the Bank to shift to a faster pace of rate cuts later in 2025, meaning the Bank Rate would drop to as low as 3.25 per cent.
City minister takes aim at cash ISAs in call to back the stock market February 5, 2025 The City minister lamented the hundreds of billions of pounds stashed away in cash ISAs today as she called for Brits to invest more money in London’s ailing stock market. Speaking to the Lord financial regulation committee, Emma Reynolds, who took over the role of City minister last month, said the UK had “failed to [...]
PMQs: Badenoch says businesses ‘abandoning North Sea’ due to Starmer February 5, 2025 Businesses are “abandoning the North Sea” because of Sir Keir Starmer’s decisions, Kemi Badenoch has claimed at PMQs, as he she criticised the “signal he is sending to investors”. Her comments came after a Scottish court ruled that green lighting the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields was unlawful, following a court battle brought [...]
LK Bennett: Luxury fashion brand loved by Princess of Wales slumps into the red February 5, 2025 LK Bennett, the luxury fashion brand loved by the likes of Catherine, Princess of Wales, has slumped into the red. The London-headquartered retailer has reported a pre-tax loss of £3.1m for the 12 months to 27 January, 2024, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The loss comes after LK Bennett posted a pre-tax profit [...]
Tax or cut? Rachel Reeves faces fiscal headache before OBR forecasts February 5, 2025 The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will publish its latest assessment of the UK economy on 26 March.
UK economy: Services firms’ new orders fall for first time in over a year February 5, 2025 The survey showed that incoming work for services firms decreased in January, ending a 14-month period of continuous growth.
Hospitality sector still reeling from Labour’s Budget February 5, 2025 The high drama of a global trade war competes for coverage with Keir Starmer’s EU reset, impending interest rate decisions and Nigel Farage’s lead in the opinion polls. News moves fast, and the spotlight moves on. For their part, politicians are always among the most eager to ‘draw a line under it’ and move on; [...]
Savile Row label Hackett hails international success as profit rockets February 4, 2025 International success has helped up-market Savile Row clothing label Hackett almost quadruple its profit during its latest financial year as sales surged. The London-headquartered chain has reported a pre-tax profit of £3.8m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2024, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The figure comes after Hackett posted a pre-tax [...]