Latest News | AI & Blockchain Trends in Quantitative Trading

Why are returns on residential property falling in the UK?

January 12, 2025

The amount of money sellers are making from residential property in the UK has shrunk to its lowest level in a decade, as a years-long boom in house prices slows, according to new figures. After years in which London property has delivered bumper returns for investors and homeowners, the slowdown has been felt most acutely [...]

Cera secures $150m funding for AI-led healthcare

January 12, 2025

The UK’s largest HealthTech company, Cera, has raised $150m (£122m) to fuel its AI-driven home healthcare model, reducing strain on the NHS and improving nationwide patient care. The capital was raised through a funding round led by Schroders Capital and BDT & MSD Partners. The HealthTech leader uses AI to deliver preventative, in-home care, to [...]

UK consumer confidence may struggle to ‘ride out’ uncertainty

January 12, 2025

Consumer confidence ended 2024 on a high, but analysts have warned that it might not be able to ride out a wave of economic uncertainty this year. Confidence was at its highest since April 2021 in December, according to Yougov’s and CBRE’s monthly consumer confidence survey. Business activity, optimism about the future, and perceptions of [...]

Quinn Emanuel: US law firm’s City of London office revenue soars

January 12, 2025

US law firm Quinn Emanuel’s revenue over 2024 in London was up double-digits as litigation continues to boom

Chauffeur firm Blacklane looks to ‘double down’ on London after Saudi cash injection

January 12, 2025

Luxury chauffeur service Blacklane is looking to “double down” on London after announcing its largest-ever funding round late last year. The Berlin-based firm, which counts Mercedes-Benz and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)’s Tasaru Mobility among its investors, raised £53.5m in October amid long-running reports of a possible Initial Public Offering (IPO). Blacklane’s airport transfer [...]

St James’s Place picks Schroders for former Impax mandate

January 12, 2025

St James’s Place has awarded the mandate for its £5.2bn sustainability-focused fund to Schroders, after tearing it away from Impax at the end of last year. The loss of the sole mandate of the St James’s Place Sustainable and Responsible Equity fund, which Impax had managed since 2018, caused turmoil at the firm, with its [...]

Rising wages hit British strawberry growers

January 12, 2025

The British berry growing industry has warned its future is under threat despite its value rising to £2bn for the first time. According to industry body British Berry Growers, rising energy costs and wage increases will continue to create ‘challenging circumstances’ for fruit farmers in 2025. The latest warning comes after the British Berry Growers [...]

CBI chair Rupert Soames: Reeves has created a ‘hole in the trust of business’

January 12, 2025

Rachel Reeves has created a “hole in the confidence and trust of business” by using the private sector to fill a £22bn hole in the government’s finances, the chair of the UK’s top business body has said. Rupert Soames, chair of the Confederation of British Industry, said the Chancellor had “bruised” British companies after rolling [...]

London Stansted reports busiest ever year as £1.1bn expansion gets underway

January 12, 2025

London Stansted has reported a record year of passenger traffic as it pushes ahead with a £1.1bn expansion plan unveiled in the Autumn Budget. The hub to the North East of London welcomed 29.8m passengers in 2024, a 5.8 per cent increase on the previous record of 28.1m in 2019. It followed the airport’s busiest [...]

Protein Works set for ‘epic milestone’ as sales pass £50m

January 12, 2025

Protein Works is gearing up to achieve an “epic milestone” as its sales broke through the £50m barrier for the first time. The Cheshire-headquartered business is on the verge of selling 400 million protein shakes worldwide as it revealed its turnover hit £50.7m in the year to 31 August, 2024. The latest turnover total for [...]

Shipping giants face landmark cartel class action for overcharging UK motorists

January 12, 2025

First follow-on cartel class action to hit a trial in the UK kicks off over allegations that shipping firms overcharged British consumers for car deliveries

London will lead the way as leaders address global challenges at Davos

January 12, 2025

For London, the world’s financial capital, Davos offers a vital platform to champion the UK’s role as a global leader in green finance, AI regulation and emerging technologies, says Lord Mayor Alastair King As world leaders descend to Davos this month, the World Economic Forum provides a rare chance to reshape the global agenda amid [...]

Plus500 promises further payouts as revenue set to beat expectations

January 12, 2025

Plus500 said revenue will be "meaningfully ahead of market expectations" as it promised further shareholder returns in 2025.

UK airport growth shows no signs of slowing as key expansion decisions loom

January 12, 2025

Surging passenger traffic at UK airports has shown no signs of slowing as officials continue to deliberate over key expansion decisions in the coming months. Both Heathrow and London Stansted reported record annual passenger numbers on Monday, with 84m and 30m flyers passing through each hubs’ gates in 2024. The figures will come as little [...]

Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe: UK chemical manufacturing ‘having the life squeezed out of it’

January 12, 2025

Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe has warned British chemicals manufacturing is having the “life squeezed out of it” by the government, and is on the verge of extinction. The business titan slammed the de-industrialising of Britain, which started in the 1970s and 1980s, and criticised the government for a lack of energy strategy and high [...]