City rents rise as return to the office drives up demand for prime locations December 3, 2024 Available office space in London’s most sought-after areas has slumped to near record lows as businesses continue to reverse pandemic-era working from home rules. According to global property consultancy Knight Frank, availability in newly constructed office buildings has fallen to 0.3 per cent in the West End Core – which includes Mayfair and St James’s [...]
Shein: Why the FCA is unlikely to block a blockbuster listing December 3, 2024 The boss of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has insisted he is not the regulator of “every aspect of corporate behaviour” amid growing concerns over plans for the fast fashion retailer Shein to float on the London Stock Exchange. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said it is not within the regulator’s power to [...]
The City needs to fall in love with risk again December 3, 2024 Back in March, in a meeting room somewhere in the labyrinth of offices that makes up the Square Mile’s political headquarters at the Guildhall, the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen and the Communications and Corporate Affairs Sub Committee met to consider a report on a potential area of focus for a potential new Lord Mayor [...]
Lord Mayor criticises ‘misalignment’ of tax in call to unleash the City December 2, 2024 The Lord Mayor of London will rebuke the government for a “misalignment” in its fiscal policy tonight as he calls for ministers to “look again” at a tax on share trading and incentivise investors to back London Stock Exchange-listed companies. In his first major speech since becoming Lord Mayor in November, Alastair King will urge [...]
Mothercare slumps to loss as market woes in Middle East continue December 2, 2024 The firm slumped to an adjusted pretax loss of £1.4m in the six months to the end of September, swung from a profit of £1.8m in the same period last year.
Budget could wipe out 125,000 jobs in family businesses December 2, 2024 The government’s move to limit inheritance tax relief for family-owned businesses could cost Britain roughly 125,000 jobs and significantly reduce economic activity, new research has found. The change unveiled in Labour’s first Budget could reduce the value of goods and services produced across the UK economy by £9.4bn and incur a £1.3bn net loss for [...]
‘Losing faith’: Just one in four bosses has confidence in government December 2, 2024 Just one in four bosses has confidence in the government to deliver economic growth, in a sign firms are “losing faith” in ministers’ strategy. A London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) snap poll found 81 per cent of business leaders said they were not confident the government will address firms’ concerns. While 77 per [...]
Make UK Equities Great Again December 2, 2024 UK equities are lagging behind international competitors, but Hugh Sergeant is on a mission to turn that around – complete with baseball caps. UK Equities are unloved and have been so for years. The UK market sits at a significant discount to many of its international peers, especially the US, and while everyone seems to [...]
In a time of geopolitical uncertainty, the UK must do everything for growth December 2, 2024 While we await the inauguration of Donald Trump, the UK must do everything within its power to ensure economic growth at home supports a strong voice for the UK abroad, says Chris Hayward We’re now a little over a month away from the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States of America. I wish [...]
Yorkshire Water hikes dividend despite pollution remaining ‘too high’ November 29, 2024 Yorkshire Water, which serves more than five million customers across the region, has hiked its dividend during the first half of its financial year despite pollution levels remaining “too high”. The provider paid out dividends totalling £37.5m in the six months to 30 September, 2024, up from the £17.7m during the same period in 2023. [...]