UK's Equity Market Faces Job Cuts at Peel Hunt Amidst Efforts to Boost Retail Investment and Gen Z's Growing Interest in Global Stocks

London-based stockbroker Peel Hunt Ltd. is reducing its workforce by approximately 10 employees, signaling continued challenges in the UK's equity market. This decision comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves aims to stimulate retail investment by considering changes to ISAs (tax-free savings accounts). Despite ignorance about investment products among some Britons, particularly stocks-and-shares ISAs, research indicates that nearly a third of Generation Z (ages 18-27) have started investing, favoring shares, especially in global tech companies and index funds like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. While there are suggestions to incentivize investment in UK-listed shares, Gen Z investors show a preference for global equities. Scrapping stamp duty on UK shares, which currently raises £4.1 billion annually, and offering a £100 voucher for a FTSE all-share ETF to parents of newborns could further boost the UK's investment culture.