Bank of England under pressure to raise interest rates or risk ‘losing credibility’ Economics The Bank of England is facing mounting pressure to raise interest rates on Thursday amid a global bond market rout fuelled by concerns over runaway government borrowing and sticky inflation. Investors told Threadneedle Street it was “essential” to rein in prices before the energy shock triggered by the Iran war spreads through the economy and [...]
European financial centres lose global standing amid ‘relentless pivot to Asia’ Business European financial centres suffered a decline in global rankings as the continent continued to lose ground to fast-growing Asian cities. Centres across Europe saw their prominence erode, with several key cities tumbling in the latest rankings from Z/Yen’s 40th Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 40). European cities fell out of top 20, after only four [...]
Bank of England poised to slow bond sale programme Economics The Bank of England is likely to slow its unusual approach to offloading gilts after conceding it had pushed up borrowing costs at a time when government bond yields have hit near-record highs, economists have predicted. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee will vote to reduce the pace of its ‘quantitative tightening’ programme from £70bn to [...]
Revolut lands fresh banking licence after wrestling with Europe friction August 10, 2026 Revolut has been granted a new full-fat banking licence with approval from the European Central Bank following previous friction with the prudential regulator. The $75bn fintech giant – which is currently undergoing a secondary share sale expected to value it at $115bn – revealed on Monday its European arm will accelerate its continental push under [...]
ECB inflation survey points to sharp surge in prices May 4, 2026 Major increase identified in ECB’s longstanding expert study, but hopes it will be short lived depend on Iran war ending Timely insight into inflation flashed across traders screens on Monday from the European Central Bank, as rising oil prices were back at the top of the agenda with tensions spiking higher in the Gulf. The [...]
Hamilton Lane’s Erik Hirsch: We’re seeing a private credit witch hunt February 17, 2026 Depending on which central banking chief you talk to, the burgeoning private credit industry is either a cause of insomnia, a “dark corner” of finance or an arcane lending practice whose participants are behaving like bankers in the run-up to the global financial crisis. To Hamilton Lane boss Erik Hirsch, though, it is simply an [...]
Gold continues to glitter as investor demand reaches record highs January 29, 2026 Gold has continued its record breaking rally, as investors and central banks scramble to get their hands on the safe haven asset in the face of ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. Total gold demand exceeded 5,000t for the first time in 2025, with the precious metal setting a staggering 53 new all time highs during the year. [...]
US inflation jumps to 2.9 per cent, setting up key rate decision September 11, 2025 US inflation edged up to 2.9 per cent in August, leaving the Federal Reserve with a difficult decision to make on interest rates next week and all but vanquishing any chance of a ‘super-sized’ 50 basis-point cut. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Thursday that the annual consumer price index (CPI) figure for inflation [...]
Mood towards global economy remains sour August 11, 2025 Fund managers are expecting inflation to rise over the next year as the mood towards the global economy coarsens. Over 40 per cent of fund managers believe the global economy is set to weaken over the next 12 months, with US economic policy and weaker consumer demand seen as the largest forces dragging it down, [...]
EU-US trade deal faces criticism from European leaders July 28, 2025 European leaders have poured scorn on the EU-US trade deal struck by President Donald Trump and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen over the weekend, with many viewing the agreement as a victory for Trump rather than their own countries. While the pact announced on Sunday has helped dodge a potential transatlantic trade war, [...]