Bank of England’s postponement of bond sale is a ‘precaution’ April 10, 2025 The Bank of England’s decision to postpone the sale of long-dated bonds to after June following market volatility was a “precaution”, according to deputy governor Sarah Breeden. President Donald Trump’s tariffs sent markets around the world into a state of panic as 30-year gilt yields surged to its highest level since 1998, pushing up borrowing [...]
Stats body aims to publish key jobs data in late 2026 April 10, 2025 The UK’s official statistics body has set a target of November 2026 for the reform of its flagship Labour Force Survey (LFS), which monitors the UK jobs market. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been dogged by several troubles in data gathering, prompting criticism from the Bank of England as well as an intervention [...]
Exclusive: Former Bank of England policymaker calls for interest rates to be held amid high inflation April 10, 2025 A former Bank of England rate-setter has suggested that high inflation levels call for interest rates to be held at 4.5 per cent in May. The majority of investors and analysts are expecting the Bank to cut interest rates next month to ease low growth concerns, with up to three more cuts priced in until [...]
Reeves held responsible as marginal growth expected April 8, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has had to watch the UK economy trudge along since she took up residence at 11 Downing Street. But even more bad news has been forecast to come before another lot this summer, and potentially no better news later this year. This Friday, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is poised to [...]
‘Awful April’ price hikes will cause ‘inflation surge’ April 1, 2025 Sweeping price hikes coming into effect from Tuesday are set to push up inflation, a leading economics consultancy has said, as what many have called ‘Awful April’ is set to put an extra burden on businesses’ costs. Higher costs in everything from water to energy will contribute to a rise in inflation that peaks at [...]
UK mortgage approvals dip in February March 31, 2025 Mortgage approvals for house purchases decreased again in February as gains in consumer credit borrowing slowed down by £300m compared to January, the Bank of England said on Tuesday. House buying appeared to slow down as lenders approved around 65,500 mortgages in February, compared to some 66,100 in January. January saw a decrease of around [...]
Spring Statement 2025: OBR slashes growth forecast March 26, 2025 The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has slashed its growth forecast in half to one per cent as Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was “not happy” about the revised figures. Reeves has insisted that high growth is key to Labour’s mission in government, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously suggested that it is aiming for a rate [...]
Spring Statement 2025: What is it – and when will Rachel Reeves speak? March 25, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to update MPs on the state of the UK economy and make a range of economic policy announcements on Wednesday afternoon at the Spring Statement. She is also set to give updates on the government’s plan to go “further and faster” on delivering growth. The Spring Statement will come as [...]
Add growth to Bank of England’s remit, Treasury told March 24, 2025 The Treasury has been urged to change the Bank of England’s remit to include growth after a new paper by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said a focus on nominal GDP would lead to “more stable” policymaking. The Bank is mandated to hit an inflation target of two per cent and sets interest rates [...]
Who has played themselves into and out of the British and Irish Lions tour? March 21, 2025 If the Six Nations taught us anything it’s that picking a squad for this year’s British and Irish Lions tour to Australia is going to be very difficult. For some players a strong Six Nations has catapulted them from nobody to somebody, or from a fringe player into a starter. And for others it has [...]