WFH: Blackrock orders managing directors to work full week from office May 8, 2025 Blackrock is ordering its most senior staff to work from the office five days a week in the latest example of financial institutions abandoning the flexible working from home (WFH) policies many adopted in the wake of the pandemic. The investment juggernaut will tell its workers that all of its approximately 1,000 managing directors across [...]
Visit a rooftop bar: London’s best sky-high drinking spots for summer May 8, 2025 Find your favourite rooftop bar: London’s latest openings for 2025 are listed below Provencal themes are jolting drinkers out of the capital and to the south of France this spring, as many of the best London rooftop bars deck out their outdoor areas with escapist design themes. That’s why we particularly love The Culpeper, who [...]
Saudi Arabia’s PIF sponsors new $13m prize golf series May 8, 2025 The Saudi Arabia investment vehicle the Public Investment Fund (PIF) is to be the title sponsor of a revamped golf programme. The PIF Global Series will replace the Aramco Team Series and will have a total prize pot of $13m. The PIF Global Series will span five events on the Ladies European Tour (LET) – [...]
Derwent: Return to office mandates boost London landlord May 8, 2025 Ongoing high demand for central London offices, combined with low supply of best-in-class space, has boosted real estate investment trust (REIT) Derwent in the first quarter of the year. Derwent said leasing activity in the year to date totalled £2.7m, with a further £3.7m of rent under offer. Open market lettings ticked up by 2.7 [...]
Lloyd’s of London selects Patrick Tiernan for CEO position May 8, 2025 Lloyd's of London appointed Patrick Tiernan as its chief executive officer after John Neal revealed in January is was going to step down
Metro Bank shares soar as lender’s turnaround gathers pace May 8, 2025 Metro Bank said there was a “significant increase” in quarter one profit against the second half of 2024 during a trading update on Thursday. Shares in the bank jumped nearly four per cent during early trading. The London-based firm said it was “confident” it would meet full-year targets after a “structurally higher” net interest margin, [...]
Power restored to Heathrow terminals seven hours before flights resumed May 8, 2025 Power was restored to Heathrow airport’s terminals seven hours before flights resumed on the day it was closed because of a substation fire, an investigation has found. An interim report by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) found the flow of electricity to all four of the west London airport’s passenger terminals was restarted by [...]
Construction industry ‘not expected to recover’ in 2025, building supplier Lords says May 8, 2025 The UK construction industry is unlikely to recover before the end of the year, one of Britain’s biggest building materials suppliers has said, as firms wrestle with rising taxes and increased uncertainty. London-listed Lords said it was continuing to focus on delivering efficiencies to deal with cost pressures and “an increasingly onerous regulatory environment” after [...]
House prices rise in April: ‘The market is baring its teeth’ May 8, 2025 House prices in the UK ticked up in April as the market unexpectedly bounced back from the end of stamp duty relief. According to Halifax, house prices increased by 0.3 per cent in April vs a fall of 0.5 per cent in March, making the average property now £297,781. Prices have been remarkably stable over [...]
Harbour Energy forecasts higher oil and gas production May 8, 2025 Oil and gas firm Harbour Energy has edged up its full-year production guidance despite recent market volatility. Annual production is expected to come in at between 455 to 475 kboepd, up from a previously guided range of 450 to 475. The London-listed group on Thursday also reaffirmed guidance for a full-year operating costs of $14/boe, [...]