Savvy the Squirrel and ‘simpler regulation’: New City minister reaffirms Labour’s investment push Investing The government’s new City minister has doubled down on the government’s commitment to overhaul the UK’s investment culture and encourage more Brits to enter the stock market, including its new squirrel-themed nationwide campaign. Economic Secretary to the Treasury Rachel Blake, who took over from Lucy Rigby three weeks ago, noted that “too many people have [...]
Partners Group suffers surge in withdrawal requests and braces to cap more funds Investing Partners Group warned that its flagship private equity fund had been hit by a flurry of requests from wealthy investors, raising concerns the Swiss firm would have to cap withdrawals, a day after doing so on a major European fund. Redemption requests at its $16bn private equity master fund reached roughly six per cent of [...]
Gold prices glitter amid geopolitical uncertainty Investing Gold saw a significant price rally over the course of 2025, after geopolitical uncertainty and heightened central bank buying drove more people to the safe haven asset. Gold prices rallied 44 per cent last year, reaching $4,550 per ounce in December and recording 56 fresh record highs according to the latest report from Metals Focus. [...]
Investec shares rise amid takeover speculation June 3, 2026 Investec shares jumped in early Wednesday trading after the South African financial giant became subject to takeover speculation. Shares rose as much as 4.6 per cent before settling at 1.4 per cent, trading at 669.5p, following reports from M&A blog site Betaville that the bank may have attracted takeover interest, with it citing “people following [...]
Space X to allow British investors to buy into blockbuster IPO June 2, 2026 British investors will be able to buy into Space X’s mega IPO, as the space technology company looks to strip back listing rules as it prepares to go public later this month. The company is anticipated to price its blockbuster initial public offering on the Nasdaq later this month, with the company targeting a valuation [...]
Iran conflict could cause further decline to M&A, leading tax firm warns June 2, 2026 Merger and acquisition deal activity could see a further hit this financial quarter if the US and Iran do not reach a resolution to the conflict, a leading tax and accountancy firm has warned. The number of domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisition (M&A) transactions involving a change in majority share ownership fell to 352 [...]
British American Tobacco shares slide as cigarette volumes decline June 2, 2026 British American Tobacco suffered a fall in share price in early morning trading, as investors opted to take profits despite updated revenue growth for the full financial year. Shares slipped 2.9 per cent to 4,447.3p, as investors ignored growth in its new category business and US momentum for declining cigarette volumes. Global cigarette industry volume [...]
Easyjet attracts takeover interest from US private credit firm May 30, 2026 Budget airline carrier Easyjet has drawn takeover interest from private credit firm Castlelake, which could make the airline the latest UK-listed company to be snatched off the stock market. Castlelake said it was in the “early stages of considering a possible offer” for Easyjet on Friday, but was yet to approach the company’s board. The [...]
Universal Music rejects Bill Ackman’s $65bn takeover bid May 30, 2026 Universal Music’s board has rejected billionaire Bill Ackman’s takeover proposal, arguing it “materially undervalues” the company and is ultimately not in the best interest of shareholders or artists. The company’s board unanimously rejected the $65bn (£48.3bn) proposal from Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital on Friday, as it offered to buy the world’s largest record company last [...]
Ocado shares rocket after striking Asda home deliveries deal May 29, 2026 Supermarket giant Asda has struck a deal with Ocado for the grocery technology company to take over all home deliveries from next year, as it looks to completely overhaul its online shopping business. Ocado will “quickly replace and upgrade” Asda’s existing e-commerce structure, taking control of the supermarket’s delivery operations form stores and warehouses from [...]