Bank of England: Interest rate cuts are near the end September 4, 2025 The Bank of England is less likely to make drastic cuts to interest rates in the coming year as officials said the current cycle could “not go on forever”. In a hearing before the Treasury Select Committee, members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) indicated markets may be correct to predict there would be no [...]
Andrew Bailey slams Trump’s ‘dangerous’ threats against US Federal Reserve September 3, 2025 Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has said he is “very concerned” about President Trump’s threats against the US Federal Reserve. In a hearing before the Treasury Select Committee, Bailey said the threat to the Fed’s independence was a “very serious situation”. The Governor said he was worried about attempts to “trade off” monetary and [...]
The spectre of 2008 haunts banks’ push into private credit September 2, 2025 Britain’s biggest banks are trying to grab a slice of the rapidly expanding private credit market, but as they look to grow, memories of the financial crisis are coming back to haunt the lenders. The global private credit market notched $2 trillion (£1.5 trillion) assets under management in 2024 and is expected to grow to $2.8 trillion [...]
Outlook for UK economy ‘remains subdued’ as bosses battle cost hikes September 1, 2025 Private sector bosses are predicting activity to shrink again over the next three months when a fresh bout of inflation is expected to compound cost pressures hoisted upon them at last year’s Autumn Budget. According to the Confederation for British Industry’s (CBI) Growth Indicator, more firms expect trading conditions to worsen in the three months [...]
Mortgage approvals rise for third month in a row September 1, 2025 Mortgage approvals for house purchases edged up in July, the third month in a row that has seen a rise, official data has shown. Money and credit statistics published by the Bank of England showed the housing market remains intact despite fears it might slump ahead of the Autumn Budget. The rise in approvals came [...]
Voters oppose higher taxes and want Rachel Reeves sacked September 1, 2025 The majority of UK voters would be opposed to higher taxes despite pressures on public finances, a new poll has found. Analysis by economists has suggested that Rachel Reeves will have to raise taxes by as much as £50bn in the Autumn Budget, with property owners and pension pots reportedly set to be targeted by [...]
House sales rise in summer, but will property tax rumours kill confidence? August 29, 2025 The UK housing market has proved remarkably resilient this year despite significant pressures, with sales on track to match 2022 highs. The number of UK residential transactions in July was 95,580, four per cent higher than July 2024 and one per cent higher than June 2025, according to the latest data from HMRC. The market [...]
Rachel Reeves told ‘copy Margaret Thatcher’ with bank tax raid August 29, 2025 Britain’s banking titans are back in the hot seat as Rachel Reeves faces renewed calls to hike taxes on lenders. The self-described “iron Chancellor” has been advised to take a leaf out of Margaret Thatcher’s book with a fresh levy on banks that would hand the Treasury up to £8bn a year. The levy – [...]
Bank of England’s Mann: ‘Squeeze out’ inflation with rate holds August 26, 2025 Inflation is likely to become “persistently elevated” unless it is squeezed out with a more restrictive monetary policy than the Bank of England is currently predicting, a top Bank of England official has warned. In a hawkish speech delivered on Tuesday, Monetary Policy Committee member Catherine Mann said the spectre of further price rises looked [...]
UK banks carry out sweeping branch closures as customers go digital August 22, 2025 Some of the biggest traditional banks have shut more than one in three of their UK branches over the past five years as they turn away from the high street and dash to bulk up their digital offerings. Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows the number of bank, credit union and building [...]