Pressure on Rachel Reeves grows as tax receipts disappoint February 21, 2025 Tax receipts rose at a slower pace than expected in January, new figures show, in a sign that the poor performance of the economy could have damaging fiscal consequences. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the government recorded a monthly surplus of £15.4bn, meaning it received more in taxes than it [...]
Retail stocks: Luxury pulls ahead while fast-fashion brands Asos and Primark lag February 20, 2025 Luxury stocks have started to outperform high streets brands once again as investors bet on a luxury upswing. Brands which struggled last year – like Burberry and Kering – are bouncing back, while brick-and-mortar reliant firms like Primark are struggling. The ten largest luxury retailers by market cap have seen their stock price rise by [...]
London Stock Exchange Group upgraded ahead of results February 20, 2025 Analysts have upgraded London Stock Exchange Group as investors prepare for the bourse’s full-year results next week, with hopes that a further share buyback programme will be announced. In a research note today, RBC Capital Markets analysts upgraded the London Stock Exchange Group’s target price from 11,600p to 12,500p. The stock is currently sitting at [...]
Burberry set to re-enter the FTSE 100 in March reshuffle February 20, 2025 Burberry looks set to re-enter the FTSE 100 in March after its shares doubled since their lows in September. The luxury brand fell out of the FTSE 100 in its September quarterly reshuffle last year after its share price dropped nearly 75 per cent in 16 months. However, glimmers of hope for a luxury rebound, [...]
UK equity markets could do with some shock therapy February 20, 2025 My favourite explanation as to why UK pension funds have shrunk their investments in UK equities from around 50 per cent in the 1990s to a paltry 3 per cent today was offered to me recently by one of the City’s veteran fund managers; “You can trace it all back to the day that crook [...]
Glencore: FTSE 100 miner mulls ditching London February 19, 2025 Glencore became the latest company to warn it could ditch its London listing today in a move that has been described as a “sucker punch” to UK markets. Speaking to the media after the miner’s results today, Glencore chief Gary Nagle said that questions had been raised over whether the UK was the right place [...]
Shein: Discounted valuation would give IPO a ‘better chance of going ahead’ February 17, 2025 Fast-fashion giant Shein is under investor pressure to slash its valuation by two thirds from its all time high should it go ahead with its long-awaited float on the London Stock Exchange later this year, according to a report. Shen was valued at $66bn (£52bn) in a funding round in 2023 and as high as [...]
Assura: FTSE 250 firm rejects £1.5bn takeover approach February 17, 2025 FTSE 250 healthcare real estate investment trust Assura has rejected a takeover offer worth more than £1.5m – the fourth such deal it has turned down in the last six months it has been revealed. The Altrincham-headquartered business hit the headlines at the end of last week when it emerged it had been approached by [...]
FTSE 250 Assura receives unsolicited takeover approach February 15, 2025 Assura, the FTSE 250 healthcare real estate investment trust, has received an unsolicited takeover approach from private equity giant KKR and a major universities pension scheme. The Altrincham-headquartered company confirmed late on Friday that it had been contacted by KKR and USS Investment Management, which is representing Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). The parties have until [...]
Shein: Tariffs and cheap goods crackdown could hit London listing February 14, 2025 Fast-fashion retailer Shain faces an uncertain future amid the threat of Trump tariffs and a crackdown on the sale of cheap goods overseas. There were rumours that Shein planned to list in London with a £50bn float around this Easter, but according to the FT, this boon for London’s market is likely to be shelved [...]