Business rates to more than double in ‘final blow’ to UK retailers January 21, 2025 Business rates are set to rise more than 140 per cent for thousands of high street businesses across the UK in yet another cost pressure for brick-and-mortar businesses. Business rates, which are levied on all commercial properties, were cut by 75 per cent in 2022 as high street stores found themselves unable to cope during [...]
Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio: UK economy at risk of ‘debt death spiral’ January 21, 2025 Ray Dalio, founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Capital, warned that the UK economy was at risk of a “debt death spiral” following the recent bout of bond market instability. In an interview with the Financial Times, Dalio warned that the government faced the prospect of having to borrow more and more from financial markets in [...]
UK economy: Headache for Bank of England as wage growth accelerates January 21, 2025 Wage growth picked up towards the end of last year, new figures show, revealing the continued persistence of price pressures in the UK economy. According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), annual regular pay growth averaged 5.6 per cent in the three months to November, up from 5.2 per cent previously. [...]
Saba Capital: Does the US hedge fund have a point on UK investment trusts? January 21, 2025 US hedge fund Saba Capital triggered fury and an industry-wide defensive effort when it launched an activist campaign against seven UK investment trusts last month. The Manhattan-based hedge fund, led by Boaz Weinstein, has laid siege to the trusts, accused them of failing to perform, and pushed for shareholder votes to “elect new directors with [...]
Biden’s failure is a warning to Labour January 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves has said her economic proposals are inspired by Bidenomics, but even though America’s economy is prospering regular voters hated how Biden got them there – and that should worry Labour, says Will Cooling Yesterday brought to an end Joe Biden’s long goodbye from public life. A man who once convened private meetings with [...]
‘America first’: Donald Trump sworn in as 47th President January 20, 2025 Donald Trump has been sworn into office as the 47th president of the United States, with a claim that “America’s decline is over.” The Republican politician took the oath of office in the rotunda of the US Capitol building in Washington D.C. on Monday after below freezing temperatures saw the ceremony moved indoors. President Trump [...]
The FTSE 100 has hit another new high. Next stop 9,000? January 20, 2025 The FTSE 100 has hit another all-time high today of 8,548.59, the second time in two trading days the blue-chip index has hit a record. For the first time, the FTSE 100 passed the 8,500 barrier last week, off the back of hopes that the Bank of England might cut interest rates more aggressively than [...]
‘Reason for cautious optimism’: UK consumer confidence rebound on cards January 20, 2025 Consumer confidence is set for a pick-up this year as the economy starts to improve and the UK adjusts to higher costs, according to a new survey. While the end of last year was gloomy for both businesses and consumers, analysts at Deloitte have said there is “reason for cautious optimism” going into the summer. [...]
How City of London investors are bracing for Donald Trump 2.0 January 20, 2025 City investors are bracing for four more years of unpredictability on the global markets as Donald Trump returns to the White House as president. After banging the drum for punitive trade tariffs and US protectionism in recent months, Trump’s second term is expected to inflict more turmoil on global markets than outgoing president Joe Biden. [...]
Rolls-Royce worth £50bn again after FTSE 100 surge January 20, 2025 Rolls-Royce has returned to a market capitalisation of more than £50bn after its shares rallied. The Derby-headquartered FTSE 100 giant passed the milestone for the first time at the start of December 2024 before its share price fell back. However, Rolls-Royce has surpassed the £50bn barrier once again after a jump in its share price [...]