Gold just broke another record: Is it a bubble? March 19, 2025 Gold prices hit another record high this morning, reaching a peak of $3,046 (£2,349) just days after finally breaking the $3,000 barrier. The price of the precious metal has roughly doubled since the start of this decade, leading many to question whether gold can continue climbing. The rise in prices has come amid Middle East [...]
Output gains show firms are ‘protecting their margins’, Lloyds growth survey says March 19, 2025 Growth in a number of sectors shows that firms “are taking steps to protect their margins”, according to a survey of 1,300 companies. Rachel Reeves’s £20bn increase to national insurance contributions (NICs), which is set to come into effect in April, has left firms unsettled. But the latest Lloyds UK Sector Tracker has indicated companies [...]
Pay awards stagnate ahead of national insurance hike March 19, 2025 Pay growth at UK businesses is stagnating as businesses look to cut costs ahead of the Chancellor’s upcoming tax hikes. Figures compiled by HR data and insights provider Brightmine show that pay growth slumped following Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget, and have since stagnated at three per cent. The current figure now aligns with the Office [...]
M&G slumps to loss as outflows accelerate March 19, 2025 M&G has reported a jump in outflows for 2024. The insurer and asset manager reported outflows of £9.5bn throughout 2024, compared to £4.7bn in 2023, it revealed in its annual results. Outflows were recorded from every arm of the firm. Its traditional Life business was hit hardest, with outflows of £4.8bn during the year. Meanwhile, [...]
Labour is targeting the disabled not because it’s hard, but because it’s easy March 19, 2025 Labour's cut to disability benefits is not the mark of a government making "tough decisions", but desperate ones, writes Will Cooling.
UK investors up home bias in exodus from US stocks March 18, 2025 British investors continued upping their ‘home bias’ for UK stocks over the last year while withdrawing from US equities, reacting to fears of a global trade war and faltering US economy. Average UK allocation increased from 19 per cent to 21 per cent over the past year, whilst US holdings fell from 45 per cent [...]
Pound tops $1.30 for first time since Trump’s election win March 18, 2025 The pound has traded above $1.30 for the first time since president Donald Trump’s November election win, as a falling dollar caused by trade war fears has proved a boon for sterling. Sterling has climbed 2.7 per cent over the last month and 6.5 per cent since its January low, reaching a fourth-month high of [...]
Liz Kendall unveils welfare reform package aimed at saving £5bn by 2030 March 18, 2025 Liz Kendall has unveiled a major package of reforms to the UK’s welfare system with the aim of saving the government £5bn by 2030.
VR headsets and sliders kick DVDs and turkey out of inflation basket March 18, 2025 VR headsets, yoga mats and sliders have been added to the inflation basket of goods as DVD rentals and minced turkey have been knocked off. The items included in the consumer price inflation (CPI) basket of goods and services, which is compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), are designed to reflect Britons’ typical [...]
The UK could build a new investment culture by emulating Sweden March 18, 2025 Risk-averse Brits have long struggled to get into investing. Luckily, the similarly cautious Swedes can teach us a few things.