FTSE 100 Live: BoE rate decision in focus after Fed cut Markets Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. Last night the US Federal Reserve met and agreed to lower interest rates by a quarter-point to between 3.5 and 3.75 per cent. But it was far from a tranquil meeting, with policymakers battling it out over whether to prioritise high inflation or a poor labour market. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Reeves scrutinised, Fed interest rates decision, stocks suffer Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog covering the FTSE 100 and other big market moves. Rachel Reeves is set for a showdown with MPs on the Treasury Select Committee later today while the Federal Reserve is expected to slash interest rates by 25 basis points by the evening. Reeves will begin [...]
AI to answer your 101 calls, leaving 999 calls to humans “It’s not unusual for us to see 5,000 calls in 24 hours,” chief superintendent of the Thames Valley police department, Simon Dodds, told City AM. “Prioritising 999 over everything else is a real challenge”. That pressure has pushed his department, as well as the Hampshire & Isle of White Constabulary, to use AI agents. Their new [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Fed interest rates, retail sales, GDP December 9, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog covering the FTSE 100 and other big market moves. Investors are bracing for a crunch decision at the Federal Reserve this Wednesday, with markets pricing in a 25 basis point cut to bring interest rates down to 3.5-3.75 per cent. Forecasters will be taking a [...]
Best cars 2025: Our brilliant and bonkers highlights of the year December 5, 2025 These are difficult times to be a car company. Cheap Chinese imports, costly US tariffs and the UK Government’s muddled approach to policymaking have all slowed sales and impacted the bottom line. And that’s before you factor in cyber attacks, semiconductor shortages, the cost of living crisis and the reluctance of many motorists to embrace [...]
Alarming rise of social media use among toddlers December 2, 2025 Almost 800,000 children under the age of five are now likely to be using social media platforms in the UK, intensifying concerns around the country’s ability to protect the younger generation online. The figures, based of Ofcom’s recent research, reveal an alarming rise in very young children using platforms intended for teenagers or adults. It [...]
Chancellor Rachel Reeves denies misleading public over finances before Budget November 30, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has denied misleading the public over UK finances before the Budget, stating she “was very upfront” about the need to find more money, despite not mentioning £4.2bn surplus. The Chancellor has found herself in the firing line since Wednesday’s crunch Budget, as she faces increasing questions from opposition figures over claims she [...]
FCA pressed to investigate Treasury over Budget briefings November 29, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has been urged to wade into the row between the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility and investigate government briefings about a so-called £20bn fiscal hole. Scottish National Party leader Stephen Flynn urged the City regulator to investigate Reeves and other Downing Street officials over “deliberately false and misleading” briefings [...]
Young professionals are the hardest-hit by this punitive Budget November 27, 2025 For anyone still tempted to believe Rachel Reeves has stuck to her manifesto promise not to put taxes up on working people, let me disabuse you of the notion. As the OBR pointed out yesterday, by 2030 there will be more than 10m people dragged into paying higher rates of income tax compared to 2023, [...]
87% of UK Shoppers Changed Their Shopping Habits Amid Rising Costs, ShipStation® Survey Finds November 26, 2025 Value, recommerce, and delivery reliability are shaping 2025’s Black Friday and Christmas shopping across all generations