Demand for passive funds drives assets under management to record highs August 13, 2025 The UK investment management industry reached “record highs” in 2024, boosted by demand for low-cost products and overseas interest in UK assets. Tracker net sales surged for the third consecutive year, as investors increasingly look towards low-cost products and passive investments. In contrast, active sales tumbled, according to the latest report from the Investment Association [...]
Companies cracking down on investment bank leaks August 8, 2025 Big companies are putting investment banks under pressure to cut back on the number of advisers working on UK takeover deals, as concerns about leaks grows. Several clients have asked banks to review the number of employees that have to be informed about live transactions in recent weeks. This stemmed from rising concerns among regulators [...]
AI-for-Excel firm Tracelight raises $3.6m to streamline finance work August 6, 2025 UK founded AI company, Tracelight, has raised over $3m in seed funding as it bids to hand laborious finance work over to AI tech. The London based company raised $3.6m (£2.7m) in seed funding from a series of venture capital firms, led by Chalfen Ventures with participation from Acequia Capital, Inovo and EF Morning Wire [...]
Women at risk of running out of pension wealth seven years into retirement July 24, 2025 Women are retiring with significantly less pension wealth than men, leaving them at greater risk of running out of wealth just seven years into retirement, new analysis has found. Gen X women, aged 55-59, have just £81,000 in their pension on average, compared to the £156,000 held by men of the same age, leaving them [...]
US hedge fund shorts British firms despite aim to ‘save’ UK market February 20, 2025 Activist investor Saba Capital has taken short positions against some key UK companies, including beloved Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury, despite previously claiming to be the “white knight of the UK market”. The American hedge fund has taken out a 0.95 per cent short position against the £537m publisher, or a roughly £5.1m bet against it. [...]
UK IPOs set to ‘spring back to life’ in 2025 February 7, 2025 The UK IPO market is set to “spring back to life” in 2025, according to City brokers Peel Hunt. “A number of issuers are currently monitoring windows in the second quarter, which we expect to be the first real test of the UK IPO market in 2025,” said Peel Hunt analysts. In 2024, the UK [...]
UK dividends fall in 2024 after miners cut payouts January 28, 2025 UK dividends fell 0.4 per cent on an underlying basis in 2024 after miners slashed payouts by 40 per cent compared to the previous year. While headline dividends in 2024 rose 2.3 per cent to £92.1bn, this was thanks to a surge in one-off payments to £5.6bn. Underlying or regular dividends fell to £86.5bn, thanks [...]
UK ranked second-best investment target by global CEOs January 20, 2025 The UK has been ranked as the second most attractive country to invest in by global CEOs, behind only the US, as British CEOs feel confident about growth in the country’s economy. This is the first time that the UK has been ranked second in the 28-year history of PwC’s CEO Survey. “Our CEO survey [...]
Why this UK stockpicker is now looking to the US January 14, 2025 A top UK stockpicker is betting on small companies listed on the London Stock Exchange that make most their cash overseas amid fears the British economy will stagnate this year. “The winners will be US or global earnings with a London listing,” said Laurence Hulse, manager of the UK small company-focused Onward Opportunities trust. The [...]
UK economy flatlined last quarter revised figures reveal December 23, 2024 The latest revised figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed the UK economy did not grow in the third quarter of this year. The statistics watchdog had previously said the economy grew 0.1 per cent in the third quarter. However, according to the latest figures, the economy flatlined, leaving the UK with no [...]