FTSE 100 Live: BP tumbles on buyback suspension, Barclays profit boost Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It was a rocky day for bond markets on Monday as political jitters rippled through the City. The 10-year gilt yield – a key benchmark for the government – rose as much as 10 basis points to 4.62 per cent following news that Scottish Labour [...]
Giant film review: Pierce Brosnan grips in this underrated boxing drama Life&Style Giant film review with Pierce Brosnan, world premiere at the London Film Festival: ★★★★ Speculation about Pierce Brosnan returning to James Bond seems less outrageous after watching Giant, in which the 72-year-old plays variously-aged versions of the same boxing trainer. In the younger scenes, with flat cap pulled down and pouting like a champ, squint [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Starmer denies Budget ‘misleading’ as Reeves on brink Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. It was quite the Budget week to end November and for many more questions were created than answered. Whilst Labour might’ve hoped it would be be their rallying moment – with the lifting of the two-child benefit cap and doubling of the Chancellor’s fiscal buffer [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Budget and bubbles continue to set agenda November 17, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. We are now just over a week out from the Labour government’s second Budget and last week rogue Westminster briefings sent ripples through markets. After continuous weeks and media outings teasing a manifesto-breaking income tax hike, the government rowed back with several reports pointing to [...]
Banking watchdog boss warns easing capital rules ‘highly risky’ October 22, 2025 The head of the UK’s banking watchdog has warned of high risk if the UK loosens its rules around lenders’ capital framework as the government pushes for economic growth. Sam Woods, the head of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said requiring banks to no longer set aside capital for top-tier sovereign bonds would “be equivalent [...]
Bank of England ‘under pressure’ to slow bond sales amid market tumult September 5, 2025 The Bank of England should slow its quantitative tightening programme and stop active sales of long-dated bonds entirely in the wake of this week’s bond rout that saw the cost of long-term borrowing soar to its highest level this century, a group of top economists has said. Markets were rocked by a global sell-off in [...]
Banks’ bond market headache spells trouble for FTSE 100 September 4, 2025 The frenzy in the bond market spells trouble for banking stocks and could create broader issues for the FTSE 100. Bond markets have had a tumultuous week, with the UK’s 30-year gilt yields hitting a 27-year high. This was triggered by a global sell-off, as well as political unease stemming from a Downing Street reshuffle [...]
‘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 [...]
Zopa Bank: UK fintech raises £80m with its first LSE bond listing May 14, 2025 Zopa Bank has raised £80m in its first-ever London Stock Exchange bond listing as it gears up to launch current accounts. The fintech will transfer to an unlisted public company within six months following the transaction as it inches closer to the possibility of a float on the LSE. The oversubscribed fundraise was completed on the [...]
Dollar movements spark ‘Trussonomics’ fears with worst case scenario ‘no longer unthinkable’ April 16, 2025 The dollar’s worst case scenario is “no longer unthinkable,” economists have warned, as some draw parallels with the crisis in UK financial markets during the Liz Truss premiership. Alongside plummeting stocks and falling bond prices, the US currency has weakened in the wake of Trump’s erratic tariff agenda, with growing concerns that its status as [...]