Hiring frenzy at London law firms as ‘apex predator’ disrupts market December 30, 2024 Partners at London law firms are switching companies at record pace as a surge of investment by American rivals ramps up competition for talent. According to data provided by legal recruiter, Edwards Gibson, there were 546 partner moves recorded over 2024. This figure is up seven from 510 moves in 2023, and up 14 per [...]
Retail insolvencies set to surge as Budget bites, experts warn December 30, 2024 A wave of insolvencies could be coming to the retail and hospitality sectors next year as businesses crumble under the tax bill brought on by Labour’s Budget, bosses have warned. Insolvencies and restructuring could rise further over the start of 2025 as firms face increased cost pressures, industry experts have said, with the retail, hospitality [...]
Relief for Reeves as business outlook brightens for new year December 30, 2024 UK businesses have defied the negative sentiment which has defined the latter part of the year and predicted an upswing in 2025. More UK businesses are expecting a stronger start to 2025 than they did entering 2024, new research from Lloyds Business Barometer has found. Seven in ten UK businesses expect to see their turnover [...]
Small businesses gear up for growth despite Budget pressures December 29, 2024 Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are gearing up for expansion in 2025 despite fears about the state of the economy. In a survey of over 2,000 SMEs conducted directly after Labour’s Autumn Budget, 81 per cent said they were confident their business would grow next year, with confidence among those employing more than 50 [...]
Mark Kleinman: Hold the Telegraph front page – then hold it some more December 27, 2024 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week he tackles the Telegraph bid, Mike Ashley’s failed Boohoo approach and an oil deal in the North Sea I suspect you’d have got long odds on January 1 on the auction of The Daily [...]
Chris Hohn: Hedge fund boss’s pay slumps to just £42m December 23, 2024 Hedge fund boss Chris Hohn took a £233m pay cut this year, as his fund paid out around £340m in charitable donations. The head of TCI Fund Management, Hohn took home $53m (£42m), down from the $346m (£276m) he collected in 2023, Companies House filings have revealed. TCI, which previously employed former prime minister Rishi [...]
Dolphins and Bills private equity deals underline value to NFL December 23, 2024 In a historic first for the National Football League (NFL), the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins have become the first teams to shake hands with private equity. These investments follow the update in August to the NFL’s investment and ownership rules allowing private equity minority ownership. Ares Management Corp. is reported to be acquiring [...]
The best business books picked by CEOs December 22, 2024 Your Spotify Wrapped excitement might have now come and gone — if you’re not still questioning why your top artist was who it was — but fortunately, a new kind of ‘year in review’ list is here to take its place. Perlego, an educational technology company dubbed the “Spotify for textbooks” wrapped up the most-read [...]
A look back at the highs and lows of politics in 2024 December 20, 2024 With elections in the UK and US in 2024, a new government, and a fresh opposition leader, watchers of Westminster and elsewhere have had a busy year in politics. At City AM we’ve followed every twist and turn as Labour secured an election victory in July, Donald Trump pulled off a White House comeback and [...]
Dust off the defence manuals… private equity is coming, say advisors December 20, 2024 London’s listed firms have been warned to dust off their defence manuals and prepare for takeover bids as private equity investors limber up for a deals offensive on the London Stock Exchange next year. After a subdued year of dealmaking through 2024, private equity buyers are expected to reignite a swoop on the public markets [...]