Andy Haldane: Reeves ‘not even close’ on growth after ‘rookie errors’ June 2, 2025 The Bank of England’s former Chief Economist has slammed Rachel Reeves’ first near-full year as Chancellor as “disappointing”, with the government “not even close to doing enough” on growth. Less than two weeks out from the 11 June spending review, Andy Haldane told LBC’s Nick Ferrari that there have been “mistakes, rookie errors” that have [...]
Exclusive: Hotels struggle with double whammy of staff costs and pressure on room rates June 2, 2025 Hotels struggled with falling profit in April after margins were squeezed by higher staff hosts and price pressure on rooms. UK hotel payroll costs increased from 31.6 per cent of revenue to 33.3 per cent in April year-on-year, and from 29.5 per cent to 31.4 per cent in London, according to RSM. A slight reduction [...]
Bank of England rate-setter calls for interest rate cut May 30, 2025 A top Bank of England rate-setter has dismissed the latest spike in inflation and doubled down on calls for further interest rate cuts. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Alan Taylor said the fresh inflation surge was driven by “one-off factors” related to President Donald Trump’s trade war. Whilst he said recent trade progress, with the [...]
‘The most calls I’ve ever had’ – Why Japanese bonds have suffered surging yields May 27, 2025 The Japanese bond market has suffered one of its worst weeks in years. An auction on Japan’s 20-year government bond saw its bid-to-cover ratio, a measure of demand, sink to levels last seen in 2012, while the auction’s tail, the gap between average and lowest-accepted prices, widened to the longest since 1987, in another sign [...]
Energy bills to fall as Ofgem cuts UK price cap by seven per cent May 23, 2025 UK households are set to see a modest drop in their energy bills this summer, after regulator Ofgem revealed a seven per cent cut to its quarterly price cap – the first reduction in a year. The announcement will bring the average annual bill for a typical household in the UK down from £1,849 to [...]
UBS creates AI tool to monitor interest rate cuts May 21, 2025 UBS has created an AI model that takes a view on central bank’s hawks and doves when interest rates are set in a bid to cut through the noise of hard-to-read press conferences. In a new policy paper spanning 38 pages, the Swiss bank revealed that its new tool is adept at “measuring the tone [...]
Interest rate cuts need to slow down to curb inflation, says Huw Pill May 20, 2025 Interest rate cuts are fuelling inflation and need to slow down, the Bank of England’s chief economist Huw Pill has warned ahead of the release of fresh data set to show a jump in price growth in April. The Bank‘s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a slim majority to cut interest rates to 4.25 [...]
OBR ridiculed for ‘joke of a salary’ in analyst job offer May 20, 2025 The UK’s fiscal watchdog has been ridiculed for offering a “joke of a salary” after advertising for new roles. The Office for Budget Responsibility is hiring for three new “fiscal analysts” based in London with a salary range of just £38,430-52,000, despite the jobs being graded a “higher executive officer” function within the organisation. The [...]
City veteran Lord Rose ‘horrified’ by slow growth under Labour May 15, 2025 Former M&S boss and current Asda co-chief executive Stuart Rose has hit out at Labour’s lack of strategy aimed at boosting the economy, claiming he has been “horrified” by the UK’s lacklustre performance despite Chancellor Reeves’ pledges to deliver growth at a “faster” pace. Reeves said her £40bn tax raid at last year’s autumn budget [...]
Interest rate cuts would ‘boost growth’, businesses tell Bank of England May 15, 2025 Further interest rate cuts by the Bank of England would get consumers to spend more and boost the economy in the coming months, business leaders have said after UK GDP grew by 0.7 per cent in the first three months of the year. Economists at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Institute of [...]