Predictions may generally be a mug’s game, but looking back at my forecasts for the business world in 2024, I seem to have fared better than usual . Klarna, the buy now pay later giant, opted for a New York listing; Dame Alison Rose made a comeback in a senior private equity role; Unilever announced that it would demerge a big chunk of its food operations; and attempts to secure a new financial redistribution deal for English football stalled, if not collapsed. All of them were among my predictions for the year; I would prefer to forget the rest (including the timing of the general election and the likely listing location of Shein).
Here, then, are my top ten forecasts for stories that will affect British business in 2025. The UK’s main share indices are in for a tough year, with the more domestically focused FTSE-250 faring particularly poorly as Britain only narrowly avoids slipping into recession. The FTSE-100 will face a larger-than-usual churn of its constituents as a stream of takeover bids from US-based companies continues to flow across the Atlantic, while geopolitical instability will continue to hamper its progress.
Among the FTSE-350 targets of bid approaches in 2025 will be Smith & Nephew, Tate & Lyle and Deliveroo. Expect the FTSE-100 to end the year at around 7900 points. After nearly two years in limbo , The Daily Telegraph and its Sunday sister title will be sold to a vehicle led by Dovid Efune, the New York Sun publisher.
Efune will become chief executive.