Listing18 Feb 2025 07:15
Making the City great again
Daily Mail, p. 54, by Ruth Sunderland, 17-02-2025
London’s status as a top financial hub is under threat, with major companies like Unilever, Flutter, and BP
considering or making moves away due to undervaluation concerns. Pension fund regulations and Brexit have
discouraged investment in UK-listed equities, while US tech stocks provide better returns, further weakening
London’s appeal. Rolls-Royce’s future also hangs in the balance as the government delays awarding contracts
for its Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), despite their potential to boost the UK’s nuclear sector and green energy
targets, as well as job creation. AstraZeneca’s decision to scrap a vaccine facility in Liverpool highlights the
government’s failure to support key industries, raising fears of further corporate shifts abroad. Labour could
reverse this decline by backing vital sectors like nuclear and life sciences, encouraging pension fund investments
in UK stocks, and scrapping Stamp Duty on share trading.
I wonder how the golden share would affect such a move if it were ever to become a serious consideration of RR.