FTSE 100 Live: Schroders in £10bn deal; UK economic growth lags

Good morning and welcome again to the Metropolis AM liveblog.

It was one other report day for the FTSE 100 on Wednesday, which secured its highest shut of all time.

On a powerful day for commodity-related shares in London, London’s blue-chip index closed 1.14 per cent increased at 10,472p.

But it surely wasn’t all cheery within the Metropolis as Britain’s greatest wealth group, St James’s Place, suffered a 14 per cent drop, sinking to 1,250p after US-based wealth administration platform Altruist launched a device to assist monetary advisers personalise purchasers’ funding methods.

The event from the Los Angeles-headquartered firm spooked buyers, sparking worry throughout the market about how technological developments might undermine the standard facets of the business.

St James’s Place was not the one UK firm within the firing line, as AJ Bell’s share worth slumped eight per cent to 419.40p.

It was a significant blow for the business, which have seen a surge in inflows in current months.

St James’s Place reported a 19 per cent yr on yr improve in its newest outcomes, with inflows reaching £21.8bn, as the corporate appeared to maneuver previous its turbulent 2024.

Elsewhere, AJ Bell recorded inflows of £4.6bn within the first quarter, whereas Quilter reported a 21 per cent yr on yr improve to £2.4bn within the ultimate quarter of 2025.

Nonetheless, the strikes didn’t do sufficient to cease plenty of Metropolis heavyweights taking the FTSE 100 to a different new excessive.

Will the index’s march proceed once more right now with the most recent launch of GDP knowledge?

We’ll be bringing you the highest information and evaluation of the morning.

Right here’s a number of of our prime tales from yesterday: