As it happened: FTSE 100 see-saws after inflation undershoots; Oil at $80 as Trump threatens ‘dropping bombs’ on Iran June 17, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Fresh inflation data this morning showed a reading of 2.8 per cent leading the consumer price index unchanged from May. This came under the expectations of a poll of City analysts by Bloomberg that forecast inflation would come in at three per cent for May. Core inflation, which [...]
Nationwide fires starting gun on mortgage deals ahead of interest rate decision June 16, 2026 Nationwide has slashed its mortgage rates for the second time in the space of a week, ahead of the Bank of England’s interest rate decision on Thursday. The building society has taken the chop to its home loan prices, with a 0.28 percentage-point reduction. It follows a 0.12 cut on 10 June. The move comes [...]
Record number of central banks plan to increase gold holdings amid global volatility June 16, 2026 A record number of central banks are expected to increase their gold holdings over the next 12 months as global volatility continues to rock markets. Nearly 90 per cent of reserve managers anticipate central bank holdings to continue rising in the wake of the precious metal becoming the top reserve asset, overtaking US government treasuries, [...]
Bank of England should hold interest rates, City AM Shadow MPC says June 16, 2026 The Bank of England should hold interest rates as inflation could stay above three per cent for several months, top economists have said. City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee, a group of leading economists who have provided responses independently of their respective organisations, said interest rates should be kept at 3.75 per cent. Economists warned [...]
What will markets make of the new chair of the Fed? June 16, 2026 Kevin Warsh wants to take us back to a world where the semi-annual Humphrey-Hawkins testimony of the Fed Chair to Congress is effectively the moment where the Monetary Wizard of Oz steps out from behind the curtain to signal the direction for interest rates, says Helen Thomas “I don’t view the Chairman, in his testimony [...]
Bank of England’s Bailey defends bond sale programme June 15, 2026 Andrew Bailey has launched a robust defence of the Bank of England’s controversial bond sale programme, arguing it will provide the firepower for another round of quantitative easing in a market downturn. Writing in The Times, Bailey argued the central bank’s move to hoover up UK government bonds, known as gilts, in the wake of [...]
Interest rates set to be held as inflation to remain ‘elevated’ despite Iran peace deal June 15, 2026 Interest rates are expected to be left unchanged as Bank of England policymakers wait to find out whether the Iran war peace deal holds up. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is set to keep interest rates at 3.75 per cent at a decision later this week. Its decision would suggest that the Bank is [...]
House price slump blamed on World Cup and heatwave June 15, 2026 House prices made a surprise drop in June because Brits are too busy watching the World Cup to move home, Rightmove has said. The average UK house price dropped by 0.6 per cent to £376,191 this month, according to the property portal, marking the biggest June fall in 14 years. Rightmove said this “unusual” slump [...]
World Cup Live Streaming Sites – Best Sportsbooks for World Cup Live Betting June 12, 2026 The 2026 World Cup is the biggest football tournament in history; 48 teams, 104 matches, and 39 days of non-stop action. For UK fans, every single match is available free-to-air on BBC iPlayer and ITVX, with no subscription required. But if you want to watch live and bet at the same time, sportsbook streaming is [...]
World Cup Free Bets 2026 – Best Betting Offers for the World Cup June 12, 2026 The World Cup is the biggest football event on the planet, and the 2026 tournament is shaping up to be the largest one yet. Hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the expanded 48-team format means more matches, more markets, and more opportunities for bettors than ever before. With the tournament kicking off on [...]