Oil price surge pushes investors to bet against interest rate cut Markets Investors have pared bets that the Bank of England will cut interest rates in March, as analysts worry that the surge in oil and gas prices could prop up inflationary pressures in the economy. European gas prices were up over 40 per cent on Monday while oil prices gained seven per cent to hover around [...]
Mortgage approvals fall to two-year low Property Mortgage approvals slumped to a two-year low in January as buyers remain cautious following months of damaging uncertainty around the November Budget. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases dropped to 60,000 in January, six per cent below the 64,100 six-month average, according to new Bank of England figures. The property market is still suffering from [...]
Top Barclays executive to take the helm at UK banking watchdog Banking A senior Barclays executive and former Treasury official has been appointed as the chief supervisor for British banks and insurers, reinforcing the government’s drive to ease regulations brought in after the 2008 financial crisis. Katharine Braddick, head of strategic policy at Barclays and senior adviser to the chief executive, will succeed Sam Woods as the [...]
Bank of England chief: Interest rate cut is an ‘open question’ February 24, 2026 The governor of the Bank of England has said that an interest rate cut in March was an “open question” as policymakers suggested the jobs market would remain weak over the coming months. Appearing before the Treasury Select Committee on Tuesday, Andrew Bailey said he had not seen enough evidence to back an interest rate [...]
‘I see people doing dumb things’: Jamie Dimon warns of crisis-style AI reckoning February 24, 2026 The world’s most influential banker has drawn parallels to the time before the global financial crisis amid inflated asset prices and peers doing “dumb things”. Jamie Dimon, the top boss of Wall Street behemoth JP Morgan, said: “Unfortunately we did see this in ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, almost the same thing. “The rising tide lifts all [...]
UK unemployment will surpass pandemic high, says JP Morgan February 24, 2026 UK unemployment will brush past its peak in the Covid-19 pandemic, Wall Street’s biggest bank has predicted, as employer’s still feel the brunt of Rachel Reeves’ cash grabs. The rate of unemployed Brits is tipped to reach 5.5 per cent by the late spring, according to a forecast by JP Morgan, which would mark an [...]
Revolut: Inside Nik Storonsky’s $75bn fintech empire still waiting for its crown February 24, 2026 In Revolut’s shiny new Canary Wharf headquarters, the command ‘Get Sh*t Done’ is bolted onto the walls. The unconventional office mantra is a stark reminder of co-founder Nik Storonsky’s acerbic, straight-talking manner that has kept the gas pumping at the UK’s most valuable fintech since it opened for business in 2015. “Whenever a target is set, [...]
Three more interest rate cuts could come, Bank of England official says February 23, 2026 The Bank of England could make three more interest rate cuts in order to reach its neutral level as inflation drops back to two per cent over the coming year, a Monetary Policy Committee member has suggested. Alan Taylor, an external member who has consistently voted for larger interest rate cuts over the past year [...]
Bank to business lending growth to halve amid global tensions February 23, 2026 UK bank to businesses lending growth is forecast to halve this year as firms feel the pinch of challenging conditions amid global tensions. Net growth in the value of lending from the banking sector to businesses is tipped to slow to 3.5 per cent this year, standing at nearly half of the 6.9 per cent [...]
Private sector axes more jobs amid Reeves’ tax and wage pressures February 20, 2026 The UK’s private sectors culled jobs for the seventeenth consecutive month in February led by a significant drop in the services sector as businesses were still digesting the impact of Labour’s 2024 Autumn Budget. The latest flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global described the rate of job shedding in February as at a [...]