Iain Withers

Property investors in Britain are targeting defence ​clients to capitalise on growing spending on rearmament, including to occupy former bank offices in London's Canary Wharf financial district, ‌real estate companies have told Reuters.

Cross-border investment into commercial property globally jumped 56% to $71.8 billion in ​the first half of this year, ‌driven by more deals in Asia and Europe including for premium offices, although higher borrowing costs could ​keep activity in check for the rest ​of the year, according to research from ⁠property agency JLL.

Private investors are needed to funnel cash into European defence companies to plug the gap left by cash-strapped governments, but too often ​bottlenecks and barriers are discouraging investment, senior finance executives told the Farnborough Airshow ‌on Monday.

Britain's underfunded public defence plans are deterring private investors and driving contractors overseas, a former military chief has told Reuters, amid a row over military ​spending that led the defence minister to quit on Thursday.

Vanguard will expand its product ‌range for everyday investors in Europe, aiming to roughly double its regional assets to $1 trillion within five years and become Britain's biggest retail investment platform, its head of Europe told Reuters.

Some British pension funds have been asked to ​put up more cash against hedging positions after a sharp selloff in UK government bonds, two ‌pensions advisers told Reuters, though the impact so far has been far more limited than during the crisis that torpedoed the premiership of Liz Truss.

Construction of new office space in ​Europe has slumped to its lowest in a decade, even as rents in prime locations hit ‌record highs, research shows, deepening a supply crunch that is forcing many occupants to stay put.

Nuveen's 9.9 billion pound ($13.3 billion) deal to buy Schroders undervalues the UK money manager, Schroders shareholder J O Hambro said on Thursday, as one of the company's other investors Tikehau Capital confirmed it had sold out.

Weakening profit margins at private credit borrowers globally will likely lead to further loan defaults in 2026, credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS said on Tuesday, as it reaffirmed its negative outlook for the fast-growing sector.

British investors were net sellers of stocks for a record-extending sixth consecutive month in November, data from funds network Calastone showed on Thursday, as fears the government would cut tax advantages for investments in its closely-watched budget contributed to the cash-out.