Big banks SME lending comeback slowed down by Budget jitters December 11, 2025 High street banks’ return to small business lending slowed in the third quarter of 2025 after the chaos on the road to the Autumn Budget dampened activity in the economy. Big banks dished out nearly £4.2bn in total loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the three months to 30 September – a level [...]
Auditor MHA queried source of funds in Sanjeev Gupta-owned firms before resigning December 11, 2025 MHA queried the source of funds for various intercompany transactions before resigning from an engineering firm owned by metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta, Morning Wire can reveal. The London-listed accounting firm has stepped down as auditor of Wolverhampton-based Clydesdale Engineering, an automotive and defence manufacturer owned by Gupta’s Liberty Steel Group, part of his GFG Alliance [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BoE rate decision in focus after Fed cut December 11, 2025 Good morning from the Morning Wire liveblog team. Last night the US Federal Reserve met and agreed to lower interest rates by a quarter-point to between 3.5 and 3.75 per cent. But it was far from a tranquil meeting, with policymakers battling it out over whether to prioritise high inflation or a poor labour market. [...]
Is Microsoft becoming the new Vodafone? December 11, 2025 America’s biggest tech firms – Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Google – have thrown the kitchen sink at becoming leaders in AI. They have forked out whatever is necessary to get to the front of the race. The four firms spent a combined $16bn on capex in the first quarter of 2020. Fast-forward to the third quarter [...]
Time to get relaxed about high executive pay December 10, 2025 This week Anglo American walked back on a plan that would have seen its chief executive handed a tasty bonus for the completion of its merger with Teck after investor backlash. Shareholders may have had well-reasoned objections to a scheme that would have dealt boss Duncan Wanblad an award amounting to almost two-thirds of his [...]
Stamp duty holiday first ‘meaningful change’ in a long time, says London Stock Exchange boss December 9, 2025 The London Stock Exchange has welcomed the government’s move to grant a stamp duty holiday to newly-listed entrants, hailing it the first “meaningful change” seen in a long time. Chancellor Rachel Reeves launched a three year stamp duty holiday for fresh listings on the London market in her Budget last month. The Treasury’s plans have [...]
Is it time to bulk up your portfolio with these fitness stocks? December 9, 2025 The fitness boom has rocked the global markets in 2025, as both consumers and investors reexamined their approach to health and wellbeing. What was once a spur of the moment run in an old pair of trainers or a reluctant trip to the gym has become a staple in daily life, leading to an increased [...]
Auditor MHA resigns from Sanjeev Gupta-owned engineering firm December 9, 2025 MHA has resigned as auditor for a subsidiary of the beleaguered metals group controlled by tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, Morning Wire can reveal. The London-listed accounting firm has stepped down as auditor of Wolverhampton-based Clydesdale Engineering, an automotive and defence manufacturer owned by Gupta’s Liberty Steel Group, part of his GFG Alliance conglomerate. MHA declined to [...]
Deloitte’s big Christmas quiz 2025 December 9, 2025 The 2025 Deloitte Christmas Economics Quiz by chief economist, Ian Stewart and team The Christmas quiz offers a test of your knowledge of the festive season, economics and politics, in 12 questions. The answers and a brief explanation of the factors at work are provided at the end. 1) Which British politician (past and present) [...]
Magnum only scoops €8bn valuation on stock market debut December 9, 2025 Unilever’s demerged Magnum Ice Cream Company netted a €7.8bn (£6.8bn) valuation on its stock market debut, heavily undershooting early analyst expectations at an initial public offering overshadowed by a long-running spat with the founders of Ben & Jerry’s. Shares in the ice cream group, which also owns the Cornetto and Wall’s brands, opened 60 cents [...]