AJ Bell: Revenue jumps as customer numbers surge Investing Investment platform giant AJ Bell has reported a record financial performance after the group attracted thousands of new customers. Group revenue rose by 18 per cent over its financial year to the end of September to £317.8m, up from £269.4m the 12 months before. Profit before tax increased by 22 per cent to £137.8m, up [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Budget to send borrowing costs soaring; New AIM IPO Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Sir Keir Starmer has asked the British public to judge his premiership on the government’s ability to “make people feel better off”. Well, in the capital the Prime Minister shouldn’t be expecting a warm reception from young Brits, who are feeling the pinch of the [...]
Argos treated like an ‘unloved child’ by Sainsbury’s Retail Argos “is not performing to the best of its ability” and the strategy of its owner, FTSE 100 giant Sainsbury’s, has left it like an “unloved child”, according to an analyst. The future of Argos was thrust into the headlines after Sainsbury’s confirmed in September that it was in discussions to sell the retailer to Chinese e-commerce giant [...]
The FTSE 100’s good year masks a much deeper problem November 24, 2025 The FTSE 100 has had a good year by recent standards. Up nearly 16 per cent, it has outperformed the S&P 500, Nasdaq, Stoxx 600 and Paris’s Cac. What’s more, three new listings in October even suggested that a well-documented dearth of IPOs was coming to an end. But a look below the surface shows [...]
Interactive Investor abandons retail campaign in fresh blow to Rachel Reeves November 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ plans to increase investment in the UK stock market has been hit with a fresh blow, as Britain’s second largest retail investment platform pulls out of the government backed marketing campaign. Interactive Investor, which is owned by London listed investment manager Aberdeen, has become the latest well known name to abandon the [...]
FTSE 100 closes in on 10,000 after outperforming US indices November 12, 2025 The FTSE 100 is inching a step closer to the magic 10,000 mark after almost a year of outperforming counterparts across the Atlantic. London’s blue-chip index rallied on the open before giving up some gains to settle on a broadly flat level. It follows two consecutive record closes with the City shrugging off bubbling tensions [...]
Industry figures urge Reeves to go further with cash ISA reforms October 15, 2025 Financial industry figures have urged Rachel Reeves to go further on reforming the cash ISA, following speculation the Chancellor is looking to overhaul the system in the looming Autumn Budget. Reeves is understood to be reviving a plan to cut the tax-free limit on cash ISAs, in a bid to get people to move cash [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Lloyds and HSBC stock tumble drags index into red October 9, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. While the FTSE has been on a tear since the start of the year, there’s no denying that the glittering allure of gold is the real asset that investors can’t turn their eyes away from. A flurry of political drama across several major economies has reignited fears [...]
Lloyds: FTSE 100 giant’s slow wealth progress sparks takeover talk October 7, 2025 Lloyds’ “slow” progress in wealth management has sparked talks of a potential takeover as the banking titan looks to beef up its offering for high net worth individuals. The FTSE 100 giant exited the area in 2013 as part of a simplification drive after the financial crisis, with the reduction of its stake in St [...]
Retail body warns against tax hikes amid ‘nightmare’ inflation September 30, 2025 Britain’s largest retail business group has warned the Treasury that further tax hikes on businesses will keep shop prices “higher for longer”, after data showed food inflation in September remained at its highest levels since the height of the cost-of-living crisis. British Retail Consortium (BRC) chief executive Helen Dickinson said even if the Chancellor chooses [...]