Innovative fashion flourishes at Studio Smithfield October 31, 2025 London has long stood among the world’s great fashion capitals, home to innovative designers who compete daily with creative powerhouses in Paris, New York, and Milan. Iconic British brands such as Paul Smith, Stella McCartney, Oswald Boateng and Alexander McQueen have all used London as a launchpad to grow their global influence and define contemporary [...]
Princes Group prices London IPO at bottom end of range October 31, 2025 Shares in Princes Group made their debut on the London Stock Exchange on Friday, rounding off a rare, busy month of listings for the British bourse after a prolonged drought. The Liverpool-based business, which makes Branston beans, Batchelors peas and Napolina olive oil, had set its offer price at 475p, the bottom end of the [...]
Motor finance, Madoff fraud, tax fears – bank shares defy the noise October 31, 2025 A motor finance battle, hefty impairment charges and the shadow of 2008 all cast over banks third-quarter results but beneath the fog investors are rewarding the FTSE 100’s top lenders for another bumper quarter. The FTSE 350 banks index has risen nearly four per cent this month and is up 17 per cent for the [...]
Shawbrook shares jump in biggest City IPO debut of the year October 30, 2025 Shares in specialist lender Shawbrook soared in early trading after the firm made its IPO debut in the City. The bank’s stock was up over six per cent in early trading to 393.43p. Shawbrook kicked off its London Stock Exchange float targeting a valuation just shy of £2bn with a listing price of 370p. “We [...]
Record number of UK businesses face financial woes ahead of Budget October 30, 2025 The number of UK businesses in ‘critical’ financial distress has surged as the economy cries out for certainty in Rachel Reeves’ November Budget. The number of businesses in ‘critical’ financial distress surged 78 per cent year-on-year, to 55,530 in the third quarter of 2025, up from 31,201 in the same quarter last year. The latest [...]
Why the ONS would survive my cull of X accounts October 29, 2025 If I had to cull the number of accounts I follow on X to just ten, @ONS would make the grade. As for the other 9, I’d be reluctant to say goodbye to @PaintingsLondon, @MattCartoonist, @createstreets or @DiaperDiplomacy but I reckon as long as I retained the Office for National Statistics I could continue to [...]
Why are asset managers turning away from the US? October 28, 2025 Asset managers are increasingly choosing to diversify their portfolios away from US stocks, despite Wall Street’s pronounced rally, as fears over being overexposed to secular markets grows. US markets saw a significant bounce back in recent months, shaking off the lows that followed Trump’s tariff announcement in April, with investors not yet losing their appetite [...]
Business rates burden to disproportionately hit London offices October 28, 2025 The upcoming change in how business rates are calculated will affect far more office-based firms in London than elsewhere and may cause a rise in closures, according to a new report. The business tax reforms, scheduled for next April, will introduce a higher rate of payment for properties worth over £500,000. The new multiplier for [...]
The smoking ban is emblematic of how the Tories lost their way October 27, 2025 The generational smoking ban shows what happens when Conservatives go against their instincts, says Karl McCartney When you are fortunate enough to be elected as an MP you have many issues that you might wish to pursue. In my and many of my former colleagues’ cases, these issues reflected basic Conservative values, encompassing a range [...]
These are the City’s four key recommendations for the Budget October 27, 2025 Financial services should remain VAT-free. The bank levy and surcharge should be phased out over time. And stamp duty on UK shares should be abolished, says Chris Hayward A month from now, the Chancellor faces a selection of stark choices. The easiest among them should be whether to supercharge the UK’s financial services sector – [...]