Thames Water allowed 35 per cent bill hike but faces £18m fine over dividend payouts December 19, 2024 Ofwat will use new powers to fine Thames Water £18m for two dividend payments it made in the last year and a half.
FCA extends motor finance complaint deadline December 19, 2024 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has extended the time that companies have to respond to motor finance complaints following a landmark high court ruling. In an announcement today, the City watchdog said firms will have until 4 December 2025 to provide a final response to customer complaints over the use of non-discretionary commission arrangements (non-DCAs). [...]
CHMC ACCREDITATION: Elevating Standards in the UK’s Professional Services Sector December 19, 2024 | Sponsored Competition is alive and well in the UK’s professional services sector. It drives businesses to continually evolve and adapt and SMEs are always seeking ways to stand out and break through. Professionals are continually looking to improve their skills, develop their talents and prove their worth. Buyers are insisting on ever-greater value for money and [...]
I’m putting Markel International ‘on the map’, says president December 19, 2024 The London insurance market is the "jewel in the crown'", it's no surprise that US insurer Markel International has the City at the heart of its strategy
Why one US hedge fund is taking aim at the UK’s biggest investment trusts December 19, 2024 A shake up could be coming for the UK’s investment trust industry after US hedge fund Saba Capital launched a campaign to topple the boards of seven different companies yesterday. “Like the Ghost of Christmas Past, Saba has descended upon the investment trust industry, urging self-reflection,” said Shavar Halberstadt, analyst at Winterflood. There have been [...]
A turbulent year for London’s markets… in four graphs December 19, 2024 “There’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” said one London Stock Exchange executive in March, just after two more firms announced they were heading for the exit. “Don’t lose your head amongst all the doom-mongering.” It is a mantra that London’s bourse has had to hold onto over the past 12 months as [...]
Does Britain care more about bats than people? December 19, 2024 For each animal saved by the £100m the government spent on a ‘bat tunnel’ for HS2 we could have stopped 76 children dying of malaria. The affair illustrates the state’s total inability to consider trade-offs, says Samuel Hughes Last month saw much discussion of the £100m ‘bat tunnel’ built for HS2. There are several morals [...]
Square Mile and me: Co-founder of Wildfarmed Edd Lees December 19, 2024 Each week we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Edd Lees, takes us through his career which went from finance to farming What was your first job? Working on a stall in Leeds market. What was your first role in the city/business world? Junior in a derivatives trading firm immediately [...]
Mark Kleinman: Boots’ dealmaker tries to formulate new potion December 19, 2024 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week, he tackles buyouts at Boots, big bonuses at Natwest and Reeves’ China charm offensive Boots’ octogenarian dealmaker tries to formulate new potion If life begins at 80, then Stefano Pessina, the octogenarian pharmaceuticals [...]
Was 2024 the year of the stockpicker? Nope. December 18, 2024 Every year, asset managers claim that this year is the year of the stockpicker. At the start of 2024, Bank of America claimed that “active funds will have greater odds of selecting winners in 2024”. “We expect more idiosyncratic opportunities next year given elevated valuation dispersion and increased public market inefficiencies, which should create a [...]