St James's Place beats 2024 fund expectations with $5.4 billion net inflows
Money managers in the UK were hit with a mixed bag of investor sentiments last year but customers were quick to return to investment firms once the uncertainties around tax changes were cleared up after the October budget.
"Client engagement levels were high throughout the quarter as our advisers provided support, reassurance and invaluable advice that helped clients navigate the uncertainty," CEO Mark FitzPatrick said in a statement.
The Cirencester-based company logged record funds under management of 190.21 billion pounds at the end of December 2024, against analysts' expectations of 187.4 billion pounds, according to a company-compiled consensus.
Its net inflows improved to 1.5 billion pounds in the final quarter from the third quarter's 890 million pounds.
($1 = 0.8044 pounds)
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North Wales Live
5 minutes ago
- North Wales Live
Shoppers rush to snap up 'excellent' 7ft paddling pool for £4.75 in heatwave
With the warm weather returning across most of the country, shoppers are on the hunt for ways to keep everyone cool and, for many, a paddling pool is at the top of the list. While summer holidays often see expenses skyrocket, bargain hunters have spotted a way to secure a highly-rated option ideal for families and even pets at a fraction of its usual price. Bestway's 7ft inflatable paddling pool usually costs £20 at Argos but thanks to a smart deal stack shoppers can grab one for 76% off the regular price, taking the final cost to less than £5. The money-saving website TopCashback offers a £15 free bonus to anyone who registers as a new member plus cashback on qualifying purchases at thousands of British online retailers including Argos. By signing up and then purchasing the paddling pool shoppers can effectively get it for £4.75 once the bonus and cashback are paid. With temperatures expected to reach up to 31 degrees Celsius in parts of the country this weekend and longer range forecasts suggesting more to come through the month, shoppers are being tempted by deals on everything from budget ice cream makers and cooling blankets to a £35 air conditioning unit to tackle the temperatures. However, especially if you have children to entertain during the summer holidays, paddling pools are a popular method to keep everyone cool as the mercury rises and many shoppers have been rushing to snap up some of the best deals. Amazon has slashed the price of a round 6ft Intex paddling pool by 37%, bringing it down to £16.29. This can be delivered tomorrow for those who have Amazon Prime delivery, reports Nottinghamshire Live. Meanwhile, all Argos paddling pools can be click and collected within an hour of purchase, not just the family-friendly Bestway option available with the £5 deal, but others including the brand's current number one best seller, the 9ft Ocean Lagoon pool which is currently half price at £15. Returning to the Bestway pool, which can effectively be bagged for £4.75, shoppers have praised it as being 'perfect' for warm weather, boasting a capacity of 400 litres and taking around five minutes to inflate and deflate thanks to two interlocking quick-release air valves. As well as being suitable for families, some reviewers have even posted photos of their pets enjoying a dip alongside their reviews. The pool comes with a repair kit, although it does not include an air pump. On the Argos website, the pool has a rating of 4.6 stars out of five based on 873 reviews, with 91% of shoppers stating they would recommend it to a friend. Reviewers commend it for its size, ease of setup and value for money. However, some shoppers question its durability. One five star reviewer described the pool as 'excellent value for money' even at the full £20 price, adding: "This is probably the best thing I have ever bought. Big enough for both my kids and their toys. Even had repair patches with it but I have not needed them yet." A second shopper described it as 'great,' adding: "I bought this at the last heatwave and it was worth every penny. My two godchildren spent two whole days in it and had so much fun - gave their mum a well earned break. I would definitely recommend this - I got the 7ft one and it was plenty big enough with a four and eight year old in it together." The pool wasn't just popular with children, with another shopper adding: "It's such a good size, good for kids when the weather is hot and also good to sunbathe in." Another customer praised the price, even without the Top Cashback bonus: "The price was very competitive as pools are usually cheaper at places like Home Bargains. I also like that I could collect it straight away." However, not all customers were entirely satisfied, with some noting that it was marginally smaller than the 7ft described in the product name, with the actual inflated dimensions measuring 6ft 11 by 52 inches by 18 inches (or 2.11m by 1.32m by 46cm). One customer commented: "Bought a month ago. Used once so far by my 4 year old grandson. He enjoyed it. The only thing I would say is that the sides are very chunky so the actual inside of the pool is smaller than I thought it would be." Here's how to snag a paddling pool for just £4.75 with TopCashback:. Firstly, sign up as a new member at TopCashback for free via this link. Then, search for Argos on the site, click through and purchase the pool as normal. The £15 cashback bonus will be triggered when shoppers spend £15 or more on any item - including the paddling pool or anything else on the site, whether it's in the sale or at full price. It will appear in the TopCashback 'Earnings page' within seven days of your purchase.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
High-speed broadband collaboration for Scottish homes and businesses
Emtelle, which is based in Hawick with manufacturing sites in Scotland, Germany, Denmark, Abu Dhabi and the US, said the collaboration will see it supply duct, sub-duct and fibre infrastructure for new full-fibre networks to enable 'fibre to the premises' speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. The infrastructure is being supplied to GoFibre as part of the Edinburgh-based company's fourth contract under the £5 billion Project Gigabit. This contract is worth £105m, and will see GoFibre deliver high-speed broadband connections and download speeds to around 63,000 residents and businesses, in parts of the city of Aberdeen and elsewhere in Aberdeenshire, as well as in Angus, Dundee, the Highlands, Moray, and Perth and Kinross, Emtelle noted. The first connections are due to be delivered by summer 2026. The Scottish Government has noted it plays "a key role in delivering Project Gigabit procurements in Scotland, working closely with the UK Government to deploy funding committed to connect some of the hardest to reach geographies across the UK". Read more Emtelle, which describes itself as a 'global leader' in the supply of passive network infrastructure for high-speed connectivity, has partnered with GoFibre on its commercial network build, and to deliver previous contracts under Project Gigabit. GoFibre's network now extends to more than 120,000 premises, and covers in excess of 30 'hard-to-reach' areas in Scotland and the north of England. Emtelle and GoFibre, which was founded in the Scottish Borders town of Duns, joined forces to enhance digital connectivity for 8,000 residents and businesses in Hawick. The Hawick-based company noted it had played a key role by manufacturing and supplying the duct, sub-duct, and fibre needed to deliver full-fibre connectivity to the Scottish Borders town, supporting GoFibre's regional rollout. Gavin Faulds, chief commercial officer of Emtelle, said: 'We are delighted to be strengthening our partnership with GoFibre in order to bring full-fibre connectivity to more than 60,000 premises in the north-east of Scotland. 'As a major Scottish employer, we firmly believe Scotland needs a first-class digital network across every town and village in order to reduce the digital divide and boost economic growth. That is why we are committed to improving its networks, especially for those in rural regions who are the hardest to reach.' He added: 'In the long term, we aim to continue our partnership with GoFibre, and build the infrastructure that further transforms connectivity in both Scotland and the UK.' GoFibre chief executive Neil Conaghan said: 'Our strategic partnership with Emtelle is an important enabler for GoFibre to deliver our Project Gigabit contract in the north-east of Scotland. GoFibre and Emtelle are both Borders-born, and for two Scottish businesses to play such a crucial role in delivering gigabit connectivity for the country shows the strength of local supply chain. We're glad to have Emtelle as our strategic infrastructure partner.'
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
'No deal until there's a deal': Trump-Putin talks yield no breakthrough on Ukraine
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A highly anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday yielded no agreement to resolve or pause Moscow's war in Ukraine, though both leaders described the talks as productive. During a brief appearance before the media following the nearly three-hour meeting in Alaska, the two leaders said they had made progress on unspecified issues. But they offered no details and took no questions, with the normally loquacious Trump ignoring shouted questions from reporters. "We've made some headway," Trump said, standing in front of a backdrop that read, "Pursuing Peace." "There's no deal until there's a deal," he added. The talks did not initially appear to have produced meaningful steps toward a ceasefire in the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years, a goal Trump had set ahead of the summit. But simply sitting down face-to-face with the U.S. president represented a victory for Putin, who had been ostracized by Western leaders since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Following the summit, Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that he would hold off on imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil after making progress with Putin. He has targeted India, another major buyer of Russian crude, with an additional 25% tariff on U.S. imports. "Because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now," Trump said of Chinese tariffs. "I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that right now." Trump has also threatened sanctions on Moscow but has thus far not followed through, even after Putin ignored a Trump-imposed ceasefire deadline earlier this month. In the Fox News interview, Trump also suggested a meeting would now be set up between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which he might also attend. He gave no further details on who was organizing the meeting or when it might be. Putin made no mention of meeting Zelenskiy when speaking to reporters earlier. He said he expected Ukraine and its European allies to accept the results of the U.S.-Russia negotiation constructively and not try to "disrupt the emerging progress." He also repeated Moscow's long-held position that what Russia claims to be the "root causes" of the conflict must be eliminated to reach a long-term peace, a sign he remains resistant to a ceasefire. There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to the summit, the first meeting between Putin and a U.S. president since the war began. When asked by Hannity what he would advise Zelenskiy, Trump said, "Gotta make a deal." "Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not," Trump added. The war has killed or injured well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts. Zelenskiy has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is also seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States. Trump said he would call Zelenskiy and NATO leaders to update them on the Alaska talks. As the two leaders were talking, the war raged on, with most eastern Ukrainian regions under air raid alerts. Governors of Russia's Rostov and Bryansk regions reported that some of their territories were under Ukrainian drone attacks. Ukraine's opposition lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on the Telegram messaging app, "It seems Putin has bought himself more time. No ceasefire or de-escalation has been agreed upon." The anticlimactic end to the closely watched summit was in stark contrast to the pomp and circumstance with which it began. When Putin arrived at an Air Force base in Alaska, a red carpet awaited him, where Trump greeted Putin warmly as U.S. military aircraft flew overhead. Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, accused of the war crime of deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia denies the allegations, and the Kremlin has dismissed the ICC warrant as null and void. Russia and the United States are not members of the court. The day before the summit, Putin held out the prospect of something Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February. It was unclear if the issue was discussed on Friday. Zelenskiy, who was not invited to Alaska, and his European allies had feared Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognizing - if only informally - Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Trump had sought to assuage such concerns on Friday ahead of the talks, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial concessions. "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get them at a table," he said. Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: "I want to see a ceasefire rapidly ... I'm not going to be happy if it's not today ... I want the killing to stop." The meeting also included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Trump's special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff; Russian foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov; and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Trump, who said during his presidential campaign that he would end the Ukraine war within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher task than he had expected. He had said if Friday's talks went well, quickly arranging a second, three-way summit with Zelenskiy would be more important than his encounter with Putin. Trump ended his remarks on Friday by telling Putin, "I'd like to thank you very much, and we'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon." "Next time in Moscow," Putin responded. Trump said he might "get a little heat on that one" but that he could "possibly see it happening." Zelenskiy said ahead of Friday's summit that the meeting should open the way for a "just peace" and three-way talks that included him, but added that Russia was continuing to wage war. "It's time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.
