Author: Lily Harper

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Lawmakers from Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing coalition are pushing to have Italy’s gold reserves declared the property of the Italian people — a move critics fear will pave the way for a government sell-off of the metal.Italy has the third-largest gold reserves in the world after the US and Germany, with roughly 2,452 tonnes, according to Bank of Italy data. Following the recent blistering rise in global prices, it has a current market value of about €285bn.The Bank of Italy says that it…

BUYBrunello Cucinelli pops up at HarrodsLooks from Brunello Cucinelli’s Harrods windows Where: Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Rd, London SW1When: from 1 DecemberThe Italian label Brunello Cucinelli produces all of its cashmere knitwear and wardrobe basics in Solomeo, a medieval village in Umbria, central Italy. For the holiday season, the brand has transformed Harrods’ window displays into a tribute to Solomeo. A six-part story unfolds across 21 windows, led by a character called Philo, a griffin drawn from Solomeo’s heraldry. Alongside the window takeover, they’re stocking choice clothing and accessories for men and women. The offering includes casual outerwear in denim and…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is part of the FT Financial Literacy & Inclusion Campaign’s seasonal appeal. The appeal is supported by lead partner Experian, which is generously match-funding other donations.It has become a rite of passage for every new generation of young adults to be labelled lazy and irresponsible by its elders, but Gen Z has probably had it worse than most. Accusations range from not making an effort at work to splurging on luxuries and a “Yolo” attitude to risky investments like cryptocurrencies…

One thing to start: Altice USA, the US telecoms affiliate of billionaire Patrick Drahi’s empire, has sued creditors holding the bulk of its $26bn debt, accusing them of illegally colluding in an attempt to force the company into bankruptcy.Welcome to Due Diligence, your briefing on dealmaking, private equity and corporate finance. This article is an on-site version of the newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every Tuesday to Friday. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newsletters. Get in touch with us anytime: Due.Diligence@ft.comIn today’s newsletter:British wealthy make departure plans…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Private equity myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.Private equity firm EQT is set to hand creditors the keys to its French nursing home group Colisée, as lenders including Blackstone and KKR prepare to take control of the heavily indebted business.The restructuring of Colisée’s €1.8bn in debt will involve creditors injecting more than €250mn into the company, according to people familiar with discussions, wiping out a third of the debt and taking 100 per cent of the company’s equity. Colisée’s €1.2bn secured loan is trading at just 55 cents on…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.UK life insurers could withstand a severe economic downturn, according to Bank of England stress tests, even as an influx of private capital money into the sector raises concerns over its resilience to shocks and ability to meet policy commitments. The Bank of England found that the 11 insurers tested came through a crisis scenario with sufficient capital to meet regulatory requirements, based on analysis of their balance sheets at the end of December 31 last year.There has been a flurry of…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Europe’s biggest asset manager Amundi is taking a 9.9 per cent stake in London-based ICG as it steps up efforts to grow its private credit business. The French group, which also said it would launch a share buyback, did not give financial details of its offer, but a 10 per cent stake in listed private credit specialist and private equity firm ICG would be worth about £550mn at Monday’s closing price. Executives at Amundi said about half the stake would be bought on…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.FT Alphaville had a long history of trying new things. Some have been successful, others have been abject failures. With the former firmly in mind and the latter mostly memory-holed, we are now launching a Substack.Many readers have long asked for a newsletter of some kind, and will probably think this is hugely overdue. Others might be baffled, and worried that our output of financial and economic nerdery and occasional shitposting could become balkanised. So we thought we’d quickly explain why FTAV…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Swiss bondholders are exploring ways to push for a settlement with UBS, after a court ruled that the SFr16.5bn write-off of Credit Suisse bonds during the bank’s 2023 rescue by its rival lacked a legal basis. The Swiss Federal Administrative Court delivered a surprise ruling last month that market regulator Finma’s order to write off the additional tier 1 bonds lacked a sufficient legal basis. Finma and UBS are both appealing against the decision, which will now go to the Supreme Court. The appeals process…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is the latest part of the FT’s Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign“Why don’t they teach us about money in schools?” is the frequent refrain of adults who approach me for advice about their financial problems. The good news is that in future, all schools in England will have to, starting from the age of five.Making financial education compulsory was the number one ask of both parents and children who contributed to a wide-ranging overhaul of the curriculum announced this week…