Competition intensifies in Saudi’s surging insurance industry October 29, 2024 In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been building an insurance industry from scratch. In the process, the country has generated home-grown companies and attracted international giants such as Bupa to help cater to rising demand. So far, the expansion of insurance in the Kingdom has been dizzying. According to Saudi Arabia’s central bank (SAMA), in [...]
HSBC chief Elhedery says no plans for Asia spin-off in global revamp October 29, 2024 HSBC’s new chief executive has insisted his redrawing of the bank’s operations between East and West is not a precursor to the kind of break-up demanded by one of its biggest shareholders last year. Speaking after HSBC’s third-quarter results on Tuesday, Georges Elhedery said the main reason for his overhaul “is to make us a [...]
Rachel Reeves needs to be able to sell her borrowing to the market October 29, 2024 The first female Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, fears following in the footsteps of the last female Prime Minister in her Autumn Budget statement. The Gilt market sell-off in the wake of the Truss/Kwarteng fiscal event two years ago didn’t just cast a huge shadow over the Conservative Party; it reminded all politicians that financial markets can [...]
Bulmers help C&C outperform the alcohol market October 29, 2024 Drinks company C&C has reported results in line with expectations as its core brands Bulmers and Tennent’s outperformed the market. The company has also reconfirmed its commitment to return a minimum of €150m (£125m) to shareholders over the next three years, adding that it has already completed €38m of buybacks. C&C will pay an interim [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown client growth surges as takeover looms October 29, 2024 Hargreaves Lansdown’s client growth surged to 18,000 in the last quarter as the investment platform’s private equity takeover approaches. However, despite the growth, which compared to just 8,000 new customers in the same quarter last year, new assets coming into the platform dropped. Hargreaves Lansdown reported just £500m in net new business, compared to £600m [...]
What to wash your Halloween haul down with October 29, 2024 Never has there been a festival so associated with sweet treats as Halloween and now is the time to stock up for trick-or-treaters. Whether clearing the leftovers or raiding your child’s haul there is a way to make the experience even better with a glass of the good stuff. Chocolate I tend to go with [...]
HSBC shares pop as bank beats profit estimates and launches $3bn buyback October 29, 2024 HSBC has unveiled its latest share buyback after beating profit estimates in the third quarter as the Asia-focused bank gears up for a major restructuring.
Appalling, laughable, not fair: Chinnor and Cambridge go it alone after Premiership Rugby Cup exclusion October 29, 2024 Championship sides Chinnor and Cambridge will compete in the Not The Premiership Rugby Cup after being excluded from the original competition. On Friday night at Mennaye Field in Penzance, Cornish Pirates will fancy themselves against a winless Exeter Chiefs in the opening fixture of the Premiership Rugby Cup. The competition has been one of the [...]
BAE Systems plots £220m transformation to create hundreds of jobs October 29, 2024 Defence company BAE Systems is planning to invest £220m to transform its Rochester base into an “advanced technology” factory. The century-old site, which specialises in aerospace technologies and electronic systems, will be revamped into a “state-of-the-art” 32,000sqm facility. BAE Systems expects the bigger and “more efficient” factory will create 300 jobs over the next five [...]
This will-we, won’t-we budget is causing economic harm October 29, 2024 Watching the will-we, won’t-we budget commentary unfold over the past few months has been painful and has caused significant uncertainty across the market. Not to mention that delaying the budget to October following the July election was a misstep, it has resulted in drawn-out public scrutiny of the multitude of possible tax changes on the [...]