OSB’s profit plunges due to falling interest rates August 20, 2025 OneSavings Bank (OSB) recorded a hefty hit to profit for the first half of 2025 as lower interest rates took a chunk out of the group’s bottom line. The London-listed firm posted a 20 per cent decline in profit before tax, which fell to £192.3m in the first half. Net interest income (NII) fell five [...]
Inflation tops forecasts as food prices jump August 20, 2025 Inflation jumped in July, official data has suggested, creating a dilemma for Bank of England officials ahead of the central bank’s next policy meeting in September. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said consumer price index (CPI) inflation hit 3.8 per cent in the 12 months to July, which is on par with the Bank [...]
Port of London exports boom despite tariff threats August 19, 2025 The Port of London Authority (PLA), the UK’s largest port, recorded a boom in trade volumes over the second quarter of the year despite fears around President Trump’s higher global tariffs. In its first ever report on quarterly trade data, the PLA said 14m tonnes of shipments moved through the port during the period. A [...]
Tax crackdown drives rise in compulsory liquidations August 19, 2025 Company directors are “feeling the impact” of HMRC’s crackdown on unpaid taxes as compulsory liquidations spiked by 11 per cent in the year to July 2025, official data has shown. More bosses wound up their businesses last month than had done so in June, with creditors’ voluntary liquidations still driving insolvencies across the UK. But [...]
Bank of England may face lower inflation despite ‘Oasis bump’ August 18, 2025 Bank of England forecasts on inflation for July could be too high despite suggestions Oasis concerts could make prices jump, forecasters have said. The Bank’s last Monetary Policy Report took a gloomy view on the state of the UK economy as it claimed inflation would hit 3.8 per cent in the month of July. But [...]
‘Weak fiscal position’ pushes UK borrowing costs to 27-year high August 18, 2025 Government borrowing costs have jumped over the past two weeks, flashing warning signs for Chancellor Rachel Reeves. The 30-year gilt yield hit 5.57 per cent on Friday before falling back to stick around 5.54 per cent when trading began on Monday. Gilt yields are higher than levels seen in April after President Trump announced sweeping [...]
Rightmove: Average price tag on home has fallen £10,000 over summer August 18, 2025 The average price tag on a home has tumbled by more than £10,000 across the summer, falling by nearly £5,000 month-on-month in August alone, according to a property website. Across Britain, the average price of a home coming to market fell by 1.3 per cent, or £4,969, month-on-month in August to stand at £368,740, Rightmove [...]
UK economy grows faster than expected in June August 14, 2025 The UK economy grew 0.4 per cent in June, official data has shown, in an unexpected turnaround following months of tariff and tax uncertainty. In the second quarter, GDP rose by 0.3 per cent after declining in both April and May. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the UK services sector, which makes up [...]
Why business confidence is all over the place August 12, 2025 Kemi Badenoch looked aghast but Keir Starmer was defiant. Business confidence was at a nine-year high, the prime minister declared in the House of Commons in mid-July. The Conservative Party leader was not having any of it. Neither were many economists and analysts watching from the City. What Starmer claimed was not false, per se. Research [...]
Wage growth hits five per cent as more jobs shed August 12, 2025 Wage growth hit five per cent June as more jobs were shed due to higher labour costs introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, official data has revealed. Pay growth excluding bonuses in the three months to June was the same as the month before, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in a caution to [...]