High earners see purchasing powers eroded after Budget measures Personal Finance High earner households could lose thousands in purchasing power over the next few years as a result of measures introduced in last month’s Autumn Budget. According to analysis of HM Treasury data, high earners not rich yet (HENRY) households will see an average reduction in their annual purchasing powers by over £15,000 by 2029, due [...]
Government must increase financial education in order to boost investment, think tank warns Personal Finance The government must do more to encourage wealth building and increase financial knowledge as Brits continue to turn away from retail investing, a think tank has warned. According to the latest report from the Startup Coalition, only 50 per cent of adults invest in the stock market, leaving billions in low-yield accounts and cash ISAs, [...]
Savers stick to cash amid fears over investment risks Business Fears over falling stock prices are prompting UK savers to avoid investing, new research has found, with Brits preferring to park their earnings in cash. According to online trading platform IG, three in five savers believe any form of retail investing is too risky, despite government and industry figures’ encouragement to increase their exposure to [...]
Demand for passive funds drives assets under management to record highs August 13, 2025 The UK investment management industry reached “record highs” in 2024, boosted by demand for low-cost products and overseas interest in UK assets. Tracker net sales surged for the third consecutive year, as investors increasingly look towards low-cost products and passive investments. In contrast, active sales tumbled, according to the latest report from the Investment Association [...]
Former Centrica boss in running to be next BP chair June 21, 2025 The former boss of multinational energy firm Centrica is among those in talks to be the next chairman of BP. Sam Laidlaw is being considered as a successor to Helge Lund, who announced he would step down from BP in April. Laidlaw is one of a number of prominent candidates in the running to chair [...]
BP shares plummet as firm chops buyback amid weakened oil market April 29, 2025 British energy giant BP chopped its quarterly share buyback after President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff agenda sent the price of oil tumbling. BP cuts its buyback to $750m (£559m), compared to $1.75bn the previous quarter. The firm’s shares dropped nearly four per cent in early trading on Tuesday. This comes after the cost of a [...]
Yougov boss facing call to resign from activist investor Gatemore January 14, 2025 Yougov is facing calls to sack its boss and kick off an “urgent strategic review” from an activist investor today after a dramatic fall in its share price over the past year. Gatemore Capital Management, an activist investment firm which owns around 1.3 per cent of Yougov, wrote to the company’s board demanding that boss [...]
Johnson Matthey: US investor ramps up activist campaign January 7, 2025 Johnson Matthey’s largest shareholder has piled pressure on the FTSE 250 chemicals group, calling its response to a demanded strategic review “wholly insufficient”. In an open letter to Johnson Matthey chair Patrick Thomas, today, US industrials investor Standard Investments slammed the group’s “destruction of shareholder value” as part of its activist campaign. Last month, Standard [...]
Baillie Gifford ‘appalled’ by US activist investor Saba Capital’s conduct January 6, 2025 Baillie Gifford has hit back against an activist campaign by US hedge fund Saba Capital targeting three of its investment trusts, calling the hedge fund’s actions “a backdoor attempt to seize control”. “We are appalled by Saba’s actions and conduct,” said Karen Brade, chair of one of Baillie Gifford’s trusts targeted by the attack. Last [...]
US activist investors ramp up attacks on UK companies January 6, 2025 US activist investors ramped up their attacks on UK companies in 2024, with British firms continuing as the top target for investor campaigns in Europe. 42 per cent of all activist campaigns in Europe targeted the UK, with 59 companies coming under pressure throughout the year, according to Alvarez & Marsal’s latest Activist Alert Outlook. [...]