Andrew Bailey sends warning as officials say interest rate hikes ‘increasingly likely’ Economics Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said that it will become “harder” to leave interest rates on hold if energy prices remain higher for longer. At an event in Oxford on Friday, the Bank of England chief indicated that interest rates would have to be raised from 3.75 per cent if oil and gas [...]
Consumer confidence hits two-year high but ‘could soon falter’ Economics Consumer confidence has surged to a two-year high in a surprise rise which will hand a much-needed boost to Andy Burnham ahead of the Budget – but experts have warned that momentum could soon run out. GfK’s closely-watched consumer confidence barometer rose to -13 in September, a rise of about one point since last month [...]
Healey plan to slash headroom would ‘not be received well’ by nervous bond market Markets John Healey’s reported plans to slash the breathing space the government has before it breaks its spending rules would spark a negative bond market reaction and lead investors to question the country’s commitment to fiscal credibility. Bond traders told City AM that any attempt to significantly reduce its so-called fiscal headroom would leave the country [...]
Is Carney’s European dream pure fantasy? September 23, 2026 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is making a bold punt for European "integration", but it risks being a fairytale, writes Tim Focas.
Explainer: What on Earth has the Bank of England done with its bond sale programme? September 18, 2026 The Bank of England chose to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent on Thursday. But its unexpected overhaul of quantitative tightening could be far more consequential, says Ali Lyon. On days when the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee decides the future of interest rates, that choice – and the thinking that goes into [...]
Borrowing costs fall after Bank of England ‘surprises’ markets with bond sale change September 17, 2026 The government’s borrowing costs fell on Thursday, after the Bank of England voted to hold interest rates and chose to end its long-term gilt sales in a major overhaul of its bond sale programme. The yields on both short- and long-term government bonds fell in the aftermath of the decision, as traders pared back bets [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates and overhauls bond sale programme September 17, 2026 The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold at a sixth consecutive meeting, but warned that they were likely to rise at future meetings unless the threat to energy markets posed by the Iran war begins to ease. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted six to three to leave rates unchanged, in [...]
Barclays staff revolt against tightened work from home policy September 17, 2026 Barclays is facing growing backlash from its own staff over a decision to tighten its home working policy. Thousands of staff have backed a call to exempt from the bank’s decision to enforce working in the office three days a week. Employees at the London listed bank have also demanded a one-off payment to offset [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 soars after Bank of England holds interest rates September 17, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. Investors responded positively to the Bank of England’s widely tipped decision to leave interest rates unchanged at 3.75 per cent on Thursday. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said that volatile energy prices caused by the Iran war will push inflation up further than its current 3.1 [...]
Interest rates look set to be held amid bond market pressure September 17, 2026 The Bank of England is expected to leave Interest rates unchanged even as bond traders raised expectations for upcoming hikes and the Federal Reserve opted to tighten monetary policy in the US. The Bank’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee is expected to back leaving interest rates at 3.75 per cent although policymakers are set to be [...]