Houston Dynamo refund tickets after Messi misses Inter Miami game March 3, 2025 Major League Soccer team Houston Dynamo have offered supporters a refund on the cost of their tickets after opponents Inter Miami left Lionel Messi out of their match on Sunday. Houston Dynamo sold out their 22,000-capacity Shell Energy Stadium for the MLS fixture only for Inter Miami to unexpectedly rest 37-year-old eight-time Ballon d’Or winner [...]
Sadiq Khan’s plan to ‘turbocharge’ London’s economy is wilfully naive March 3, 2025 Sadiq Khan’s London Growth Plan is an admirable and ambitious vision for the capital, but its bold projections should be taken with a pinch of salt, says James Ford When running for his historic third term last year, Sadiq Khan claimed to be the “most pro-business Mayor ever”. Now he is putting his money where [...]
Mortgage approvals up a fifth since January last year March 3, 2025 Mortgage approvals rose 18 per cent year on year in January after interest rate cuts improved affordability. Mortgage approvals sat at 66,189 in January, up 18 per cent from 55,941 in January 2024, according to ONS data. “UK homebuyers appear to have begun the year on the front foot,” CEO of specialist lender Octane Capital, [...]
FTSE 100 giants Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems surge following Ukraine defence summit March 3, 2025 UK and European defence shares rose to near-record highs on Monday morning lead by names such as Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems, after the defence summit in London, at which European leaders emphasised support for Ukraine and pledged to raise defence spending. The STOXX 600 rose 0.4 per cent boost, following ten consecutive weeks of gains [...]
Pukka Pies: Price rises ‘inevitable’ at chip shop favourite March 3, 2025 Chip shop favourite Pukka Pies has warned prices rises are “inevitable” as it battles “significant levels of power and labour inflation”. The Leicester-headquartered company said it delayed increasing its prices during its latest financial year “assess the mid to long-term implications from the underlying inflation” but has since concluded that rises should be introduced. The [...]
Close Brothers completes sale of asset management arm to Oaktree March 3, 2025 Banking group Close Brothers has completed the sale of Close Brothers Asset Management (CBAM) to global investment management firm Oaktree Capital Management. The transaction, finalised on 28 February 2025, is expected to bolster the bank’s common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio by approximately 120 basis points, from 12.1 per cent to 13.3 per cent. [...]
Bunzl: FTSE 100 giant looks to further deals in 2025 after profit jumps March 3, 2025 FTSE 100 international distribution and services company Bunzl has reported a slight decline in revenue on a reported basis for 2024. Revenue stood at £11.78bn ($14.91bn), a 0.2 per cent decrease on a reported basis but up 3.1 per cent at constant exchange rates. Adjusted operating profit increased by 7.2 per cent at constant exchange [...]
Reeves urged to ‘urgently’ unlock pension capital to boost pre-IPO firms February 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves should use the multibillion pound surplus in public sector pensions to give the UK’s most-promising scale ups crucial capital that will prevent them from listing abroad, a top accounting firm has said. Blick Rothenberg issued a rallying cry to the Chancellor to use her upcoming Spring Statement to lend some much-needed support the [...]
Five of the best Easter Breaks to book for April sunshine February 28, 2025 The Easter Break is coming up quickly, and even though the holiday is later in the calendar month than usual this year, it’s still a good idea to book an escape that has guaranteed sun. Here are five places to spend your Easter Break for something a little more relaxed than endless rain and drizzle. [...]
IAG: British Airways owner beats expectations as profit hits record £3.6bn February 28, 2025 British Airways owner IAG beat expectations in its full-year results as strong travel demand in the post-pandemic era continued through 2024. The airline conglomerate reported a record operating profit of €4.3bn (£3.6bn), up 22 per cent year-on-year and ahead of the €3.7bn analysts had forecast. Revenue also came in ahead of expectations, rising nine per [...]