‘Bond market tantrum risks’: Gilt traders brace for Labour leftward pivot as Starmer future uncertain
Original Factory Shop closes all stores amid collapse Retail The Original Factory Shop has closed all 137 stores and its head office, after the retailer collapsed into administration amid growing industry fears over weak consumer confidence and high taxes. The discount department store was put into administration along with Claire’s Accessories earlier this year, as private equity firm Modella Capital said government policy was [...]
Franco Manca shuts 16 restaurants, blaming ‘disproportionate’ taxes Hospitality Franco Manca has taken aim at “disproportionately high” taxes facing the hospitality sector after the pizza parlour shut 16 restaurants in a structural overhaul. The privately-owned restaurant chain said it is suffering from high VAT and “significant” hikes to national insurance and minimum wages, with the site closures to cost hundreds of jobs. The move [...]
MHA chief: Private equity rivals are struggling — ‘we’re really well positioned’ Advisory Wednesday marks one year since the UK and Ireland’s arm of Baker Tilly International, MHA, rang the bell at the London Stock Exchange. The advisory group didn’t pick an ideal time to list. Though it seems like a lifetime ago, the markets were also riddled with uncertainty. Weeks before MHA went public, Trump had his [...]
Bill Ackman in talks to launch fund in bid to pounce on investor complacency April 9, 2026 Bill Ackman is reportedly in talks to launch a new fund in an attempt to copy the success of doomsday trades the investor made during the covid pandemic. The billionaire hedge fund manager’s investment company Pershing Square would use the fund to make “asymmetric” trades aimed at profiting by betting against the leading market narratives, [...]
Blue Owl Capital outlook cut to negative amid private credit woes April 8, 2026 The outlook on Blue Owl Capital’s flagship fund has been downgraded to negative by a leading ratings firm in the latest blow to the industry as it continues to be plagued by investors pulling money from funds. Moody’s Ratings changed its outlook from stable to negative after “significantly higher-than-peer redemption requests in the first financial [...]
Iran conflict sparks worst month of outflows since Autumn Budget April 8, 2026 The Middle Eastern conflict has triggered the worst bout of equity market outflows in months as investors retreated from stocks over fears of soaring inflation and fuel shortages. Equity fund outflows jumped to £1.4bn in March, a jump of 55.3 per cent compared to February, marking March as the worst month since November 2025, when [...]
Private equity buyouts slump amid AI fears and Middle East conflict April 6, 2026 The value of buyouts by private equity groups fell by more than a third in the first quarter of the year, with dealmakers warning that concerns over AI’s impact on software businesses and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict could hasten the downturn. In the three months to March, private equity groups agreed acquisitions worth $172bn [...]
Thames Water could dodge fines under controversial new Ofwat deal April 2, 2026 Ofwat is preparing a controversial new deal with the UK’s largest water company which would allow the beleaguered utility firm to avoid any new fines over the next four years in exchange for a commitment to invest new cash in the business. The sector regulator is planning to accept “undertakings” in place of financial penalties [...]
Natwest sells HR advisory arm in latest structure overhaul March 25, 2026 Natwest has sold its human resources advisory arm to a private-equity backed rival in the latest deal by the banking giant on the road to streamlining its operations. The FTSE 100 titan has offloaded Mentor – its small business HR support service – to Empowering People Group, a specialist HR service backed by Limerston Capital. [...]
Wall Street private credit fears grow as Apollo blocks withdrawals March 24, 2026 Wall Street’s private credit crisis has spread further as further asset management giants blocked withdrawals from flagship funds. Apollo Global Management became the latest shadow bank to cap redemptions from one its biggest private credit funds after investors tried to pull $1.6bn (£1.1bn) over the last three months, as investor worries over the $3 trillion [...]