Rising salaries for junior lawyers put pressure on senior associates’ pay packages Legal US law firms continue to drive a fierce salary war in London, leaving UK firms scrambling to keep up with soaring pay for junior lawyers, but as starting salaries rise, growing pay gaps threaten to unsettle senior associates, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. As of next month, London associates at Quinn Emanuel will see their salaries increase [...]
SpaceX is preparing for blast off, but will the mega IPO send investors into orbit? Markets SpaceX is set to launch the largest retail allocation ever attempted in a megacap IPO as part of its hotly anticipated listing on the Nasdaq tomorrow, with around 30 per cent of shares reserved for retail investors. Bret Johnsen, SpaceX CFO, has said the unusually large allocation is a deliberate recognition of “folks that have [...]
WH Smith shares crater after outlook slashed on Iran war travel chaos Retail WH Smith shares have cratered after the retailer slashed its profit forecast amid the prolonged slowdown in global travel and slump in consumer confidence caused by the Iran war. Shares in the FTSE 250 retailer slumped by 16 per cent on Wednesday’s market open to 415p, leaving the stock down more than 35 per cent [...]
Workspace slashes dividend as profit plummets amid new boss’ shake-up June 10, 2026 Real estate group Workspace slashed its dividend in the latest financial year as the firm plunged to a hefty loss. The FTSE 250 company posted a £120.5m loss before tax, from £5.4m last year, which was driven by nearly £160m in write-downs of property valuations amidst a changing strategy. New boss Charlie Green – who [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 see-saws amid global jitters as market outlook turns ‘risky and dangerous’ June 10, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets were not getting too excited at the beginning of this week when Donald Trump said a peace deal with Iran was “very close”. And last night’s exchange of strikes might explain why. The US has said it completed a series of strikes against Iran [...]
An emboldened – or desperate – new government will look to wealth taxes June 10, 2026 Wealth taxes are climbing back up the political agenda as the Labour party begins the process of reinventing itself for a post-Starmer era. Wes Streeting thinks he’s found “a wealth tax that works” by hiking capital gains tax while Andy Burnham is flirting with a land value tax that would naturally hit wealthy areas the [...]
Housebuilder Bellway warns mortgage rate hikes dampening housing demand June 9, 2026 Bellway has said that recent rises to mortgage rates as a result of the Iran war are dampening demand for housing, on top of rising building cost inflation due to the conflict. The FTSE 250 housebuilder said it has seen a “moderation” in customer demand in April and May, bringing an end to a “positive” [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 and Wall Street hit by stock sell-off; CBI cuts UK GDP June 9, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Rachel Reeves is staring down another bruising growth downgrade this morning after the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) slashed the UK’s GDP forecast to 1.1 per cent for the year. The figure is a drop from 1.4 per cent last year and below the previous consensus of 1.3 [...]
Soaring petrol prices and Devil Wears Prada 2 help consumer spending return to growth June 9, 2026 Soaring fuel prices and box office hits helped consumer spending return to growth in May, according to fresh data from Barclays. Consumer card spending was up 0.8 per cent year-on-year last month, following a 0.1 per cent dip in April. The rise came as essential spending jumped 0.7 per cent, led by a near 12 [...]
CBI: 200,000 more Brits to face unemployment this year as growth crumbles June 9, 2026 The UK economy is set for further pain in the months ahead, a top business group has warned, as consumers and businesses across the country suffer the effects of the Iran conflict, surging energy prices and a raft of government tax hikes. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said that around 200,000 more Brits [...]