UK long-term borrowing costs hit highest level since 1998 January 7, 2025 The price of long-term government debt jumped to its highest level since 1998 on Tuesday as investors grew nervy about the UK’s economic prospects. The yield on the 30-year gilt, which reflects the price of government borrowing, hit 5.28 per cent on Tuesday in the wake of an gilt auction conducted by the Debt Management [...]
Eurozone inflation increases amid debate over pace of interest rate cuts January 7, 2025 'Flash' figures from Eurostat show that the headline rate of inflation increased to 2.4 per cent last month, up from 2.2 per cent the month before.
Keir Starmer less popular among UK voters than Donald Trump January 7, 2025 Keir Starmer is less popular among UK voters than Donald Trump, according to new polling. The first of a new monthly City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll found the Prime Minister had the lowest approval of all figures tested, with a majority of voters having an unfavourable view. Starmer has the lowest net approval rating of -36 [...]
Next: FTSE 100 retailer hikes profit guidance but warns on costs January 7, 2025 Retail industry bellwether Next has upgraded its profit outlook for the year after sales and growth exceeded expectations during the Golden Quarter. The FTSE 100 company hiked its expected profit by five per cent as sales jumped six per cent in the nine weeks to 28 December, nearly double its previous guidance of 3.5 per cent. [...]
Profit stalls at iconic motorcycle maker Triumph January 7, 2025 Profit has stalled at iconic motorcycle brand Triumph as an economic downturn in China and a fall in the value of sterling impacted its sales. The Derbyshire-headquartered business, which is owned by billionaire John Bloor, has reported a pre-tax profit of £72.6m for the year to 30 June, 2024, up slightly from the £72.3m it [...]
Porsche 911 Carrera 2025 review: Sensible sports car still sparkles January 7, 2025 For 40 years, the entry-level Porsche 911 has been called ‘Carrera’. Back in 1984, a 911 3.2 Carrera developed 231hp, accelerated to 62mph in 5.6 seconds and cost £31,950. For comparison, the new 911 Carrera driven here serves up 394hp, blasts to 62mph in 3.9 seconds and has a list price of £99,800. According to [...]
How will the UK economy perform in 2025? January 7, 2025 The economy has shown few signs of life since June and business surveys since October's Budget have painted an incredibly bleak picture of the year ahead.
With expectations so low, Starmer might just carve out a win January 7, 2025 From a news perspective, the Christmas break was more Deck the Halls than Silent Night. Keir Starmer ended last year with approval ratings so low that critics were never going to call off the dogs in the spirit of good will to all men. The PM couldn’t even enjoy a toboggan run in Madeira without [...]
Retail gloom as festive season fails to save 2024 trading January 7, 2025 High street stores showed anaemic growth in the 2024 festive season, despite hopes that Christmas trading would inject some cheer into the sector. Sales grew just 0.3 per cent overall in the ‘golden quarter’, which includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Online sales continued to beat in-store, [...]
Unhappy New Year? 72 per cent say UK ‘going in wrong direction’ January 7, 2025 Keir Starmer’s chances of a New Year reset have been dealt a blow with new research revealing a lack of confidence in the government’s economic policies. The first of a new monthly City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll found that 72 per cent of voters say the UK is going in the “wrong direction”, including 53 per [...]