Crown Paints: Losses double as more jobs lost amid DIY downturn January 3, 2025 Crown Paints saw its pre-tax loss more than double as it shed further jobs despite sales rising, it has been revealed. In delayed accounts, the Lancashire-headquartered firm has reported a pre-tax loss of £16.1m for 2023. The figure comes after Crown Paints made a pre-tax loss of £8m in the prior 12 months. However, the [...]
Where did UK house prices rise fastest in 2024? January 2, 2025 Nationwide's house price index showed that house prices rose 4.7 per cent over the year-to-December. Across 2023 house prices fell 1.8 per cent, according to the building society.
How much will the UK economy grow in 2025? December 31, 2024 At the beginning of the year, most forecasters expected that the UK would suffer another year of stagnation.
FTSE 100 records best performance since 2021 December 31, 2024 The FTSE 100 returned just 5.8 per cent in 2024, despite a last-minute selloff in the final weeks of December. Despite hopes of a ‘Santa rally’ in December, the FTSE fell 1.7 per cent in the month. However, this will be its best year since 2021. That year, the blue-chip index returned 14.3 per cent, [...]
How fast will the Bank of England cut interest rates in 2025? December 31, 2024 The pace at which the Bank of England cuts interest rates in 2025 will be a major focus for financial markets in 2025, just like it was in 2024.
Investment bosses back UK stocks in 2025 and fret over Trump December 31, 2024 The chief investment officers of some of the UK’s largest asset managers have said they expect UK stocks to outperform global equities in 2025. However, they’ve also warned that trade wars represent the biggest threat to investors in 2025, as US President Donald Trump’s election threatens to heighten global supply chain issues. According to data from [...]
The purposeful CEO is dead: Long live the ‘corporate diplomat’ December 31, 2024 The era of green-centric grandstanding by CEOs might be over – welcome to the age of corporate diplomacy, writes Ali Lyon It had never been more essential, Blackrock’s Larry Fink wrote in the 2022 edition of his widely-read annual letter to CEOs, for bosses “to have a clear purpose”. “Putting your company’s purpose at the [...]
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 [...]
Finance bosses optimistic about Labour plans to cut red tape December 30, 2024 A KPMG survey found seven in 10 financial services bosses think the policies will help attract foreign investment into the sector.
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 [...]