Graduate jobs market slumps to new low August 24, 2026 The UK’s ailing graduate jobs market has slumped to a record low as employment costs surge and firms turn to AI for entry-level roles. The number of graduate vacancies in Britain fell 45.6 per cent to 8,383 in the year to July, undercutting the previous low set in May, according to recruitment firm Adzuna. This [...]
As it happened: Stocks rally; US to unveil ‘economic D-Day’ Iran sanctions August 24, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 rallied on Monday afternoon following a brief slump in the early afternoon. Wier, Airtel Africa and Intercontinental Hotels Group led the index’s risers while Autotrader and Melrose Industries dragged on the index. The attention of investors is trained on the other side of the Atlantic, [...]
Lord O’Neill declines job in Burnham government August 21, 2026 Former Goldman Sachs executive and Tory Treasury minister Lord Jim O’Neill has declined a job in Andy Burnham’s government, in a blow to the Prime Minister as he looks to woo business ahead of the Budget. O’Neill served as an informal economic adviser to Burnham before his election as Labour leader and had been in [...]
UK economy’s rebound fails to stem two years of mass job losses August 21, 2026 A rebound in the UK economy over August has failed to turn around the country’s flagging labour market after nearly two years of job losses, new estimates have shown. Data tracked by S&P Global suggested the UK’s private sector grew at the fastest pace in four months in August despite concerns around business costs and [...]
Burnham predicted to raise taxes for ‘fundamental’ cost of living support August 21, 2026 Andy Burnham will struggle to deliver “fundamental” cost of living support without raising taxes, economists have warned, after a spike in government bond yields in recent weeks. Higher than expected government borrowing in July has deepened problems for the UK’s public finances, narrowing the range of extra cost of living measures that could be adopted [...]
Healey oversees unexpected rise in borrowing in first month as Chancellor August 21, 2026 John Healey oversaw an unexpected deficit in the public finances in his first month as Chancellor, according to new data, in a sign the government may be more restricted than first thought ahead of its first budget. New figures released on Friday showed that government borrowing hit £1.8bn in July. Markets had expected the Office for [...]
Consumer confidence extends upward streak in boost to Burnham and Healey August 21, 2026 Consumer confidence rose for the fourth straight month in August in a sign that Brits are buying into the government’s push to tackle the cost of living, a leading survey has suggested. GfK’s consumer confidence index rose to -14 this month, up three points from the net score last month. Consumer confidence has been rising [...]
Healey told tax rises for fiscal remedy are ‘not required’ August 20, 2026 Chancellor John Healey does not have to raise taxes to offer the UK economy “immediate remedial action” at the Budget, a top City economist has said. Panmure Liberum economist Simon French, who formerly worked at the Treasury, said the fiscal outlook for the government would be “broadly in the same position” as in the beginning [...]
Investors risk losing life savings with unregulated services, watchdog warns August 20, 2026 The UK’s financial watchdog has warned everyday investors could lose their life savings if they pump cash into high-risk unregulated investment services. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said the recent failure of Woodville Consultants, a litigation funder which raised cashed through unregulated loan notes, had revealed the risks facing investors. Woodville collapsed in July [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 rallies after JD Sports drags on blue chips; oil jumps again August 20, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 has slipped to a week low on Thursday, as JD Sports dragged on the index after warning on profit. The blue-chip index fell to 10,693 around midday, marking a 0.46 per cent drop on Wednesday’s close and a 0.7 per cent fall in the week [...]