Sober January for alcohol stocks as Brits ditch the booze January 8, 2026 After a boozy festive period, it’s time for non-alcoholic stocks to raise a toast, as millions of Brits take on Dry January. Diageo shares have shrunk 0.23 per cent this week to 1,597.8p, while Amsterdam listed Heineken shares fell 1.7 per cent to €68.32 (£59.20). Beyond January, Brits are becoming more sober conscious. Nearly 50 [...]
British investors fled the stock market at a record rate in 2025 January 7, 2026 British investors pulled out of the stock market at a record pace last year, as Budget uncertainty sparked a flight to safe haven assets. Equity fund outflows hit £6.7bn in 2025, twice the rate suffered in 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum, where outflows reached £3.3bn, according to global funds network Calastone. December marked [...]
British savers are moving further away from financial security January 6, 2026 The average UK adult is thousands of pounds away from feeling financially secure, as more people struggle to bolster their savings. British adults are more than £16,000 away from achieving their financial ‘safety net’, according to analysis from money app Plum. Savers believe they need roughly £40,300 in their savings in order to quash their [...]
Fiscal drag to push thousands of families into child benefit tax charge January 6, 2026 The Chancellor’s decision to freeze tax thresholds will leave thousands of families forced to pay High Income Child Benefit Charge, eroding the value of government support. According to official HMRC forecasts, uncovered in a freedom of information request by Quilter, fiscal drag will force 35,000 more families into paying the charge, jumping from 324,000 in [...]
London Stock Exchange poised for IPO rebound in 2026 January 6, 2026 After a long-winded exodus, London’s flagship stock exchange saw a flurry of IPO activity at the tail end of last year, with the exchange poised for further revival in 2026. In the final quarter, the UK market saw 11 IPOs which raised £1.9bn, bringing the total number of listings for the year to 23. This [...]
Finance chiefs fearful of war and geopolitical risks January 6, 2026 Finance chiefs have begun the year fretting over the spectre of war and rising global tensions as President Trump’s shock operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro put investor nerves on edge. A quarterly survey by Big Four accounting firm Deloitte showed that “geopolitical risks”, which can include everything from higher tariffs to conflict and [...]
Here’s one New Year’s resolution worth trying: Becoming a billionaire January 1, 2026 A new year has rolled around again – a time for many to put their thinking caps on and set some life goals. A gym membership is one of the most popular resolutions, but is also one of the worst-kept (ask a gym manager how busy Februaries are compared to Januaries). For the less active [...]
Greg Jackson spins off Octopus’ tech arm Kraken after $1bn injection December 30, 2025 Octopus Energy Group has spun off its technology arm, Kraken, following its first standalone investment round. The fresh funding round for Kraken was led by global investment giant D1 Capital Partners, with new investors including Fidelity International, Durable Capital Partners and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. Kraken – which is an AI-powered platform now contracted [...]
Rolls-Royce boss ‘Turbo Tufan’ on track for record £100m payday December 29, 2025 The boss of Rolls-Royce is expected to receive a share-based bumper that could exceed £100m, following the turnaround that has seen the engineering group’s market value surge. Tufan Erginbilgic, who took charge at the start of 2023, was awarded 8.3m shares as part of his package deal to take over the FTSE 100 giant. At [...]
UK investors plan to boost portfolios in 2026 December 29, 2025 Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of investors with at least £100,000 in assets plan to increase the amounts they put away in 2026 despite market uncertainties, a survey indicates. More than a fifth (23 per cent) said they will look to bolster their portfolio significantly, according to the research for Scottish Widows. Despite market challenges, [...]