Reeves calls in top investment bankers for growth talks February 18, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ mission for growth continues with a fresh round of talks with top investment bankers and asset managers this week. Executives from Abrdn, BlackRock, Citi, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Schroders are set to meet with the Chancellor on Wednesday morning, according to Sky News’ Mark Kleinman. This marks the latest in [...]
Bank of England still on track to cut interest rates despite surging wages February 18, 2025 "Pay growth went up, but actually not quite as much as we were expecting," Andrew Bailey said at an event in Brussels.
Working from home is not to blame for ‘hollowing out’ London February 18, 2025 Sadiq Khan has expressed concern about the decline in office attendance and urged employers to attract workers back – but the finger of blame turns inexorably on himself, says Tom Jones Nick, 30 years old, shuffles out of his single bed with a weary sigh. The dull grey morning light of late winter barely pierces [...]
Holiday Inn owner IHG boosts dividend and buyback amid continued growth February 18, 2025 Holiday Inn owner IHG has announced the purchase of its 20th brand and a boost to shareholder returns as it benefits from the revived travel market. IHG has soared as travel has returned after the pandemic, with early estimates for 2024 suggesting the hotel industry has finally surpassed 2019’s revenue. The Windsor-headquartered company told markets [...]
BHP: Mining giant hit by lower iron ore prices February 18, 2025 Mining giant BHP has reported a jump in profit for the half-year ended 31 December 2024, despite a drop in revenue due to lower iron ore prices. Attributable profit surged to $4.4bn (£3.5bn), up 376 per cent from $0.9bn in the previous half-year. Underlying attributable profit, however, fell 23 per cent to $5.1bn due to [...]
Wage growth accelerates again as concerns about inflation rise February 18, 2025 Wage growth accelerated again in the final quarter of last year, new figures show, in a reminder that the UK economy still faces sticky price pressures.
New towns: Why Starmer needs to avoid being a cowboy builder… February 18, 2025 Promises can be a tricky thing in politics. Just look at the flack Nick Clegg received for pledging to scrap tuition fees, and then, well, not. Similarly, putting Partygate aside, I suspect Boris Johnson isn’t exactly fondly remembered as PM by those voters living in areas promised one of his 40 new hospitals. While some [...]
James Howells: The man hoping to buy a rubbish dump in his search for £750m of bitcoin February 18, 2025 In 2013, James Howells’ ex-partner threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins, now worth in excess of £750m. Having pleaded with – and sued – Newport council to let him comb through the rubbish dump where he believes it’s located, he is now considering a radical new option: buying the landfill. IT-worker James Howells [...]
UK fintech investment hits four-year low February 18, 2025 Fintech investment in the UK had another sluggish year with new data showing it sunk to a four-year low in 2024. KPMG’s bi-annual fintech report showed UK fintech investment fell by 27 per cent to £7.9bn last year, down from £10.1bn in 2023. Despite this, the UK managed to scoop up more funding than France, [...]
Google reviews have done more for public services than Whitehall February 18, 2025 Google Maps reviews have done more for public services than Whitehall, writes Michael Martins in today's Notebook.