Five graphs that reveal Burnham’s fiscal headache June 23, 2026 Andy Burnham was not shy with his spending pledges in the run up to victory in Makerfield last week. At various points, the former Manchester Mayor has pledged his party will nationalise water companies, including Thames Water; “stick with” the Waspi women, signalling a potential multi-billion pound payout to aggrieved pensioners; slash rail fares; kick [...]
Nestle launches probe over ties to sanctioned Russian propaganda channel June 22, 2026 Nestle has launched an internal investigation after it was found to have advertised on a sanctioned Georgian TV channel with ties to the Russian state.
First Trust Global Portfolios Management Limited Announces Distributions for certain sub-funds of First Trust Global Funds ICAV June 18, 2026 First Trust Global Portfolios Management Limited (“FTGPM”) announces the declaration of the distributions for the following sub-funds of First Trust Global Funds ICAV, ISIN Fund Name Frequency Dividend per Share IE00BWTNMB87 First Trust US Large Cap Core AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class B Quarterly $0.1637 (USD) IE00BWTNM966 First Trust Germany AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class A Quarterly [...]
Mining boss: Platinum to become a central bank reserve asset June 18, 2026 Central banks could turn to platinum as the next frontier of their shift to bolster reserves with precious metals in favour of the US dollar, the boss of a leading miner has predicted. Valterra Platinum chief executive Craig Miller said that the world’s reserve banks are increasingly likely to view platinum as a safe haven [...]
Bank of England to ‘tolerate slow return’ to inflation target as interest rates held June 18, 2026 The Bank of England has said it will tolerate a delay in getting inflation back to its two per cent target as it held interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a split Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decision. Bank officials said they were closely monitoring the outcome of a peace deal being struck between the [...]
Tesco fuel sales drag up slowing growth June 18, 2026 Tesco has revealed a nearly 20 per cent boost in fuel sales as the Iran war sends petrol prices soaring, dragging up otherwise slowing revenue. The FTSE 100 supermarket saw fuel sales jump by 19.5 per cent to £1.7bn in the three months to May, while total sales growth slowed to one per cent to [...]
Small businesses can help solve defence procurement June 17, 2026 A neutral vendor model for defence procurement will solve issues of scale, reduce bureaucracy and reduce the risks of engagement for all sides, says Rob Levene John Healey and Al Carns may have quit, but the final answer to the question that triggered their exits as defence secretary and armed forces minister has been left [...]
Industry warns Iran war spike to come as food inflation falls June 17, 2026 The surprise drop in food and drink inflation seen in May is likely to be short-lived, as the impacts of the war in Iran are due to take hold, leading industry figures to warn. The rate of inflation of food and non-alcoholic drinks fell from three per cent in April to 2.2 per cent in [...]
Inaction on abusive legal actions is a SLAPP in the face June 16, 2026 Everybody should have the protection they need to speak to truth to power. That’s why we must reform Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, abusive legal actions used by powerful or wealthy individuals or organisations to stifle critical speech, say Baroness Stowell and John Whittingdale Like many others, we watched the King’s Speech last month with [...]
Optimum Asset Management’s Investor Summit in Portofino brings together Mike Pompeo, Matteo Renzi and leaders across government, finance and industry to discuss the future of the global economy and geopolitics June 16, 2026 Mike Pompeo addressed geopolitical risks including China, Iran, Ukraine and Europe-US security cooperation. Matteo Renzi, Edoardo Rixi and senior government representatives joined discussions on European competitiveness, infrastructure and energy. The summit convened institutional investors, entrepreneurs and financial market professionals to discuss the future of the global economy.