Are franchise IPOs the end game for The Hundred’s £1bn investors? August 28, 2025 Have The Hundred’s investors figured out yet how they will make a return? Look out for minority stake sales and maybe even listings in India, says Ed Warner. Never make an investment without having a plan on how to sell it. Illiquidity can scupper the most enticing of propositions. The very best portfolio managers, especially [...]
England’s fertility rate drops to record low August 27, 2025 The fertility rate across England and Wales has fallen to a record low, according to official figures, which is likely to fuel clashes between policymakers and economists over immigration controls. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that the total fertility rate, which is measured by the number of children women would expect to [...]
Bank of England’s Mann: ‘Squeeze out’ inflation with rate holds August 26, 2025 Inflation is likely to become “persistently elevated” unless it is squeezed out with a more restrictive monetary policy than the Bank of England is currently predicting, a top Bank of England official has warned. In a hawkish speech delivered on Tuesday, Monetary Policy Committee member Catherine Mann said the spectre of further price rises looked [...]
Lloyds to hand shareholders over £17bn by 2027, analysts say August 26, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group shareholders are set for a bumper payout with analysts projecting the lender will return over £17bn to investors by 2027. The FTSE 100 giant was listed as Jefferies analysts “preferred” banking stock following a strong year-to-date performance. Shares in Lloyds have jumped over 50 per cent since January. The bank received a [...]
How the housing crisis is killing romance August 26, 2025 Young couples are increasingly finding buying a house a bigger barrier to adulthood than getting married, says Emma Revell As bank holiday weekends ago, spending one in the gorgeous late August sun celebrating the wedding of two close friends is definitely up there. Weddings, along with buying a home and becoming a parent, are one [...]
Business rates ‘double whammy’ to cost English companies billions August 26, 2025 Businesses in England are to face an “unavoidable double hit” to their property tax payments next year, which will see total payments surge by about £2.5bn, according to new figures. Analysis from global tax firm Ryan indicated that inflation and a government tax change will combine to drive up business rates bills further. Business rates [...]
Food inflation jumps to 18-month high as chocolate and butter prices rise August 26, 2025 Food prices have risen at their fastest pace for 18 months amid surges in the cost of chocolate, butter and eggs, latest figures show. Food inflation lifted to 4.2 per cent this month from per cent in July, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-NIQ Shop Price Monitor. It marked the highest level since February [...]
UK gilt yields suffer from dwindling investor appetite August 22, 2025 UK gilt yields have gradually moved higher over August, as investor concerns over government borrowing costs and wider economic conditions continue. While daily movements have been small, the monthly performance shows a notable sharp spike in yields, with long-dated gilts in particular recording a steep increase. UK yields are now 1.5 per cent higher than [...]
Consumer confidence weak but rate cuts offer some reprieve August 22, 2025 The Bank of England’s fleet of interest rate cuts have helped lift consumer confidence in personal finance, a leading survey has suggested, but the prospect of high inflation has left sentiment vulnerable. Bank officials are closely monitoring the effects of looser monetary policy on consumption and confidence levels across the UK. GfK’s flagship consumer confidence survey [...]
Consumer confidence still a ‘far cry’ from optimism of summer 2024 August 21, 2025 Consumer confidence ticked up slightly in August but remains far below where it was last summer, when Labour was elected in landslide victory. Brits’ expectations over the next three months of their personal financial situation have improved one point to minus six, a seven-point drop from August 2024, according to new figures from the British [...]