Business owners still plan staff cuts due to last year’s NICs raid October 30, 2025 Nearly half of business owners are still planning to reduce headcounts in response to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £25bn tax hike on employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs), a new survey has indicated, pointing to the long-lasting economic effects of a brutal tax raid in her first Budget. Reeves made sweeping tax hikes last year to fund [...]
FOMO worries drive investors to get their hands on gold October 30, 2025 Global demand for gold hit record breaking highs in the recent financial quarter, as investors continue to pay significant amounts in order to get their hands on the asset amid fears of missing out on the rally. The precious metal has soared over the course of the year, storming to $4,381 (£3,308.64) this month, with [...]
Is Next still a bellwether for the UK high street? October 30, 2025 Next sailed past its projected sales figures this Autumn, the high street stalwart told markets on Wednesday, despite wider issues in the UK high street. Overall sales rose 10.5 per cent in the 13 weeks to October 25, far above guidance of 4.5 per cent, with international sales growth at 38.8 per cent quarter on [...]
Keir Starmer refuses to rule out income tax raid at the Budget October 29, 2025 Keir Starmer dodged questions on whether Labour would raise income tax, VAT or national insurance, the clearest sign yet that the government is looking at breaking key party manifesto commitments on taxes. During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Kemi Badenoch grilled Starmer on whether Rachel Reeves was laying the groundwork for an income tax raid [...]
Businesses put brakes on investment before Budget October 28, 2025 UK businesses are putting investment and hiring plans on ice ahead of next month’s eagerly anticipated Budget, fearful the Chancellor will squeeze business to plug the UK’s fiscal shortfall for the second time in as many years. According to a fresh poll of small and medium-sized businesses, more than four in five (84 per cent) [...]
Why are asset managers turning away from the US? October 28, 2025 Asset managers are increasingly choosing to diversify their portfolios away from US stocks, despite Wall Street’s pronounced rally, as fears over being overexposed to secular markets grows. US markets saw a significant bounce back in recent months, shaking off the lows that followed Trump’s tariff announcement in April, with investors not yet losing their appetite [...]
Wealthy Brits are failing to notice that they will be hit by IHT changes October 28, 2025 Many high net worth Brits are unaware that their pensions will soon be liable for inheritance tax, leaving families exposed to significantly higher levels of tax. Nearly 20 per cent of high net worth individuals (HNW) aged 55 and over reported having no knowledge that their unused private pension pot will fall under the scope [...]
Will Big Tech earnings pop the AI bubble? October 28, 2025 This week, the world’s most powerful firms, Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon and Apple, will announce their quarterly results, which could either propel Wall Street to new highs or puncture the AI so-called ‘bubble’. Together, these five firms make up a quarter of the S&P 500’s value, and have collectively added over $6tr (£4.5tr) to their [...]
FTSE 100 live: HSBC takes profit hit, fresh food inflation rises October 28, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. It may have been more than 15 years since he was convicted and four years since he died, but legendary fraudster Bernie Madoff is still making headlines. Yesterday it was the turn of British banking giant HSBC to unveil the scale of its exposure to business connected [...]
Business rates burden to disproportionately hit London offices October 28, 2025 The upcoming change in how business rates are calculated will affect far more office-based firms in London than elsewhere and may cause a rise in closures, according to a new report. The business tax reforms, scheduled for next April, will introduce a higher rate of payment for properties worth over £500,000. The new multiplier for [...]