The FCA is seeking to dismiss Consumer Voice's legal challenges over motor finance payouts, alleging the group and its solicitors, Courmacs Legal, have not been transparent about their funding and potential conflicts of interest.
Oil prices jumped nearly 6% to over $80 a barrel after attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz led to the collapse of a ceasefire deal with Iran. UK bonds experienced their worst day since March, and the FTSE 100 fell, while oil giants BP and Shell saw gains.
Exclusive figures reveal one in five young market traders now hold postgraduate degrees, a significant shift from previous generations. This trend highlights a growing number of highly educated individuals pursuing entrepreneurial careers in markets, seeking autonomy and creative fulfillment over traditional employment.
Vistry Group, a major UK housebuilder, anticipates a first-half loss of £30m due to significant price cuts on unsold homes. The company has reduced its inventory of private homes from £600m to under £300m, with average discounts rising to 7.1%.
Package holiday operator Jet2 sees a 7.1% rise in summer bookings compared to last year, attributed to a fragile Middle East ceasefire and a European heatwave. Despite renewed Middle East tensions and EU border system delays, bookings have recovered across all destinations, with Turkey, Cyprus, and Greek islands showing the strongest rebound.
Severn Trent Water breached wastewater obligations but will not be fined by regulator Ofwat due to "genuine accountability" and proactive problem-solving. The company invested £98m to improve infrastructure, leading to a 41% reduction in storm overflow spills.
