Borrowing costs fall after Bank of England ‘surprises’ markets with bond sale change September 17, 2026 The government’s borrowing costs fell on Thursday, after the Bank of England voted to hold interest rates and chose to end its long-term gilt sales in a major overhaul of its bond sale programme. The yields on both short- and long-term government bonds fell in the aftermath of the decision, as traders pared back bets [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates and overhauls bond sale programme September 17, 2026 The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold at a sixth consecutive meeting, but warned that they were likely to rise at future meetings unless the threat to energy markets posed by the Iran war begins to ease. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted six to three to leave rates unchanged, in [...]
Federal Reserve earns rebuke from Trump after interest rate hike September 17, 2026 Kevin Warsh’s Federal Reserve has raised interest rates for the first time since 2023 and effectively pencilled in another hike this year, defying President Trump’s demands for looser monetary policy. On Wednesday, Warsh joined a unanimous decision to raise the US’s central rate by 25 basis points – or a quarter of a percentage point [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 soars after Bank of England holds interest rates September 17, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. Investors responded positively to the Bank of England’s widely tipped decision to leave interest rates unchanged at 3.75 per cent on Thursday. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said that volatile energy prices caused by the Iran war will push inflation up further than its current 3.1 [...]
Interest rates look set to be held amid bond market pressure September 17, 2026 The Bank of England is expected to leave Interest rates unchanged even as bond traders raised expectations for upcoming hikes and the Federal Reserve opted to tighten monetary policy in the US. The Bank’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee is expected to back leaving interest rates at 3.75 per cent although policymakers are set to be [...]
Marks and Spencer shares slide as investors brace for inflation hit September 16, 2026 Shares in Marks and Spencer have taken a dip as investors fear that rising inflation will push shoppers away from the upmarket grocer and towards its budget rivals. FTSE-100-listed M&S, whose food arm accounts for more than half of its revenue, dropped as much as four per cent on Wednesday to 357p. The share price [...]
Burnham warns of ‘challenging’ Budget and hits back at ‘socialists with TikTok’ jibe September 16, 2026 Andy Burnham has warned Brits to expect a “challenging” Budget as he hit back at his former adviser for accusing him of being a “socialist with better TikToks”. Burnham’s comments will be interpreted as an indication that tax hikes will likely form part of October’s Budget, as his pledge to give households “breathing space” on [...]
Government policy, not the Bank of England will determine future interest rate hikes September 16, 2026 Today’s inflation data does not address two troubling risk on the horizons: a renewed surge in global energy prices and the upcoming Budget, says William Nixon This morning’s inflation data came in close to market expectations, with headline inflation rising to 3.1 per cent in August from 2.9 per cent in July. Compositionally, the increase [...]
How do central bankers decide interest rates when inflation is so unpredictable? September 16, 2026 The Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Bank of Japan all confront the same question this week: how do you set interest rates when inflation is being buffeted by forces well beyond your control? Writes Helen Thomas Three of the world’s most important central banks meet this week, with the Federal Reserve, Bank of England [...]
Inflation inches higher ahead of interest rates decision September 16, 2026 Inflation inched higher in the year to August, official data has shown, adding to pressures faced by the Bank of England ahead of its interest rate decision on Thursday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said consumer price index (CPI) inflation in the 12 months to August was 3.1 per cent, higher than last month’s [...]