Once bitten, twice inflated: The Bank of England’s rate cut conundrum August 14, 2025 After the MPC’s historic second vote on interest rates, is the Bank of England torn between fears of recession and inflation, asks Helen Thomas Seventeen years ago this month, the Bank of England produced its quarterly Inflation Reportas usual. In the 56 pages, the Bank’s forecasters laid out carefully crafted charts andanalysis of how growth [...]
Insurers urged to reassess Russian oil coverage amid UK and EU price cap changes August 14, 2025 An insurance association has urged its members to assess their exposure to Russian oil as the UK and EU prepare to update their oil price cap regimes
Training investment has dropped by £10.9bn since apprenticeship levy introduced August 14, 2025 Investment in training has dropped by £10.9bn since the apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017, fresh analysis has shown, with calls growing for Labour to speed up its overhaul of skills programmes. In a new report by the Fabian Society, which is affiliated to the Labour Party, the government has been warned that the apprenticeship [...]
UK economy grows faster than expected in June August 14, 2025 The UK economy grew 0.4 per cent in June, official data has shown, in an unexpected turnaround following months of tariff and tax uncertainty. In the second quarter, GDP rose by 0.3 per cent after declining in both April and May. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the UK services sector, which makes up [...]
Admiral: Shares surge after FTSE 100 giant’s profit jumps August 14, 2025 Shares in insurance giant Admiral surged 5.5 per cent in early deals this morning after the group reported a significant jump in earnings for the first half of its financial year, thanks to its UK insurance arm and income from Admiral Money. The group reported a 69 per cent jump in profit before tax from [...]
Aviva’s profit soars ahead of merger with Direct Line August 14, 2025 Aviva posted a profit jump for the first half of the year after strong growth across its wealth and insurance divisions. The company’s operating profit climbed 22 per cent to just north of £1bn – topping the £875m netted in the first half of 2024. This comes after Aviva completed its £3.7bn takeover of rival [...]
Good A-levels are no guarantee in Labour’s abysmal jobs market August 14, 2025 As teenagers open their A-Level results, Andrew Griffith laments a job market that is punishing today's young people.
Beazley: Shares slump after profit falls August 13, 2025 Shares in Lloyd’s of London insurance group Beazley fell more than 11 per cent after the company reported a sharp drop in profit for the first half of 2025. Beazley reported a profit before tax of $502.5m (£371.9m) for the six months ending 30 June 2025, down from the $728.9m reported in the first half [...]
Richard Mille: Luxury Swiss watch brand’s sales tick past major milestone August 13, 2025 Sales at the Europe, Middle East and Africa arm of luxury Swiss watch brand Richard Mille have ticked past a major milestone as its growth streak continues. The London-headquartered division has posted a turnover of CHF 404.4m (£371.2m) for 2024, up from the CHF £378.7m it achieved in 2023. New accounts filed with Companies House [...]
Shoe Zone shares booted as Labour’s budget tax raid weighs August 13, 2025 Footwear retailer Shoe Zone has slashed its profit target in half for the full-year citing an overhang from Rachel Reeves’ 2024 Autumn Budget. The London-listed firm said in a trading update on Wednesday it expects pre-tax profit for the financial year ending September 2025 to be around £2.5m. This marks a stark drop from previous [...]