Investment

Michael Thomson admitted to breaching a restraining order by selling a range of luxury itemsThe former boss of collapsed investment firm London Capital & Finance (LC&F) has been imprisoned for six months for contempt of court, after admitting breaching a restraining order by selling luxury items including horse saddles and a hot tub.Michael Thomson’s actions were characterised by Judge Milne as an attack on the administration of justice. Thomson was sentenced alongside his wife, Debbie, who also admitted to the offences but whose six-month sentence was suspended for a period of two years. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 3,500 social homes could switch to private sector after companies run by Heylo Housing group go into administrationMore than £52m in public money earmarked for social housing is at risk after the partial collapse of one of the England’s fastest-growing housing providers.Two of the investment companies run by the Heylo Housing group, which is backed by the asset managers Blackrock, have gone into administration leaving the government regulator scrambling to find a rescue deal to protect taxpayers’ money and prevent 3,500 social homes switching to the private sector. Continue reading...

Survey shows businesses ‘struggling to absorb latest economic shock’, while data says April vacancies down 7.7%The worsening fallout from the Iran war is forcing businesses to halt their UK investment and hiring plans, bosses have warned, as Britain enters a renewed period of political and economic instability.More than two months into the US-Israeli war on Iran, leading surveys of UK employers showed companies were increasingly prioritising cost management over growth as rising costs and global uncertainty weigh on confidence. Continue reading...

• Global venture capital investment hit a record $300 billion in Q1 2026 across approximately 6,000 startups, representing a 150% increase quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year. • AI funding dominated with $242 billion, or 80% of total venture funding, up from 55% in Q1 2025, with capital concentrating in frontier model builders, enterprise software, robotics, semiconductors, and life sciences. • Isomorphic Labs, a DeepMind spinout, raised a $2.1 billion Series B funding round backed by Thrive Capital, Google Ventures, and Alphabet, targeting AI-driven drug discovery applications.

• U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced a $144 million investment by the Trump Administration to support states in expanding proven educational interventions. • The funding aims to enhance student outcomes through evidence-based programs addressing learning gaps. • This initiative underscores the administration's commitment to state-led education reforms amid ongoing debates over federal involvement in schooling.

• Asia's diverse economic stories across countries are generating attractive opportunities in fixed income markets despite geopolitical headwinds. • Regional credit markets have shown strong resilience weathering recent stresses related to US-Iran ceasefire uncertainties and oil price volatility. • Investors are targeting these discrepancies for yield advantages as central banks navigate inflation and rate paths differently.

• Real GDP expanded at a 2% annualized pace in Q1 2026, driven by business investment surging to its fastest rate in nearly three years on AI equipment and software spending. • Consumer spending rose modestly at 1.6%, down from 1.9% last quarter, impacted by bad winter weather and March energy price spikes. • ISM Manufacturing PMI hit 52.7 and Services PMI 53.6 in April, marking continued expansion with Prices Paid Index steady at 70.7 signaling persistent inflation pressures.