Lord O’Neill declines job in Burnham government August 21, 2026 Former Goldman Sachs executive and Tory Treasury minister Lord Jim O’Neill has declined a job in Andy Burnham’s government, in a blow to the Prime Minister as he looks to woo business ahead of the Budget. O’Neill served as an informal economic adviser to Burnham before his election as Labour leader and had been in [...]
UK economy’s rebound fails to stem two years of mass job losses August 21, 2026 A rebound in the UK economy over August has failed to turn around the country’s flagging labour market after nearly two years of job losses, new estimates have shown. Data tracked by S&P Global suggested the UK’s private sector grew at the fastest pace in four months in August despite concerns around business costs and [...]
The decline of Harvey Nichols is a tale of London’s decline too August 21, 2026 The decline and fall of Harvey Nichols is not just another business story. It is a warning about the crisis engulfing London’s high streets.
Consumer confidence extends upward streak in boost to Burnham and Healey August 21, 2026 Consumer confidence rose for the fourth straight month in August in a sign that Brits are buying into the government’s push to tackle the cost of living, a leading survey has suggested. GfK’s consumer confidence index rose to -14 this month, up three points from the net score last month. Consumer confidence has been rising [...]
KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Sona Aclai CLO I DAC August 20, 2026 KBRA UK (KBRA) assigns preliminary ratings to six classes of Notes issued by Sona Aclai CLO I DAC, a multicurrency European cash flow collateralized loan obligation (CLO) backed by a diversified portfolio of both broadly syndicated loans (BSLs) and private credit middle market (MM) loans. Sona Aclai CLO I DAC is managed by Sona Asset [...]
Standard Life partners with Goldman Sachs and CVC to fuel pension risk transfer business August 20, 2026 Standard Life has struck a deal with a group of global finance giants including CVC and Goldman Sachs in a bid to accelerate its push into the booming pension risk transfer market. The FTSE 100 group has joined forces with a CVC-led consortium, which also includes insurer Prudential, to commit as much as £2bn over [...]
Cut student loan repayments to get youths out of chicken shops August 19, 2026 Crippling student loan repayments have stolen billions from the economy sending struggling graduates to cheap food options and public transport, a consultancy firm has argued. Analysts at Baringa found that cutting the student loan repayment rate from nine per cent to five per cent would free up to £6bn in consumer spending each year for [...]
I drove 3,000 miles and saw the America AI is leaving behind August 19, 2026 Lewis Liu drove for nine days to get to his new home in Silicon Valley. On the journey he saw the America that risks being left behind.
Tracker funds are turning 50 – will they make it to 100? August 19, 2026 Vanguard launched its first ever tracker fund 50 years ago this month. Since then, they have had an enormous impact on the way our capital markets function – and now make up more than half all fund-held assets. Ali Lyon asks: will they be as popular when they turn 100? The 1976 launch of the [...]
KBRA Releases Research – The End of the RRF: Trade Adjustment and Financing Challenge August 19, 2026 KBRA releases research examining how the end of the European Union’s (EU) Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) could affect trade balances and investment financing, as the policy challenge shifts from deploying EU funds to sustaining investment beyond the programme. Since 2021, RRF-backed activity has likely increased demand for imported capital goods and specialist inputs, widening [...]