Bank bosses brace for interrogation in FTSE 100 lenders’ earnings season Banking Britain’s banking heavyweights are gearing up to report full-year earnings with top bosses set to face the crunch on the progress of their overhaul strategies. Lloyds chief Charlie Nunn will be the first of the City’s top bankers to go under the microscope when the FTSE 100 giant releases its annual report on 29 January. [...]
Majority of Brits think economy is getting worse A majority of Brits think the economy is getting worse, with sentiment souring significantly amid rising prices and weak growth. Nearly six in ten Brits believe the UK economy is on a downward spiral, a major jump from 43 per cent at the beginning of the year, marking a significant blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves [...]
‘Chance of 2026 recession’ despite interest rate cut – follow live Markets Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England has handed Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Labour government a highly-desired Christmas present today. The central bank confirmed a chop to interest rates falling to 3.75 per cent – the lowest in nearly three years. It comes after inflation undershot expectations on Wednesday providing [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Inflation eases more than expected ahead of rate decision December 17, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. We’ve had the latest inflation data this morning, which has shown the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 3.2 per cent in the 12 months to November 2025. This eased from 3.6 per cent in October 2025. It also beats figures pencilled in by economists, [...]
‘Time to worry about recession’ – Bank faces pressure to cut rates as economy shrinks December 12, 2025 The Bank of England is coming under mounting pressure to give a shot in the arm to the ailing UK economy after fresh data revealed it suffered another contraction in October. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will meet next Thursday where economists are pencilling a 25 basis point reduction to interest rates taking [...]
Laddering savings: A smarter approach November 11, 2025 Savers face a consistent dilemma: whether to lock money in for longer to secure today’s rate or keep it flexible in case conditions change. A laddering strategy manages both. It’s a simple premise: instead of putting all your savings into one fixed term account, they are spread across products with different maturities. When one matures, [...]
Legal sector defies economic headwinds with rising headcount and profits November 10, 2025 Despite ongoing pressure on salaries and increases in employment taxes, legal firms have reported an average headcount increase of nearly 4 per cent over the past year. According to the ‘law firm benchmarking report’ by professional service firm Crowe, the headcount growth was concentrated among fee earners, but nearly half of firms reported either no [...]
FTSE 100 Live: ITV and Sky takeover chatter; House prices rise November 7, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. Yesterday, the Bank of England cut rates in a 5-4 decision with Governor Andrew Bailey playing decider. Policymakers at the Bank said the crunch decision weighed up contractions in the jobs market, which could lower inflation levels, and high inflation expectations of around 4 per cent among [...]
Bank of England Live: Bailey refuses to confirm if Budget influenced rates decision November 6, 2025 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Andrew Bailey has refused to confirm whether the upcoming Budget and Rachel Reeves’ recent comments influenced his decision on interest rates. The Bank of England has held interest rates at four per cent in its final decision before the Autumn Budget. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted [...]
Motor finance, Madoff fraud, tax fears – bank shares defy the noise October 31, 2025 A motor finance battle, hefty impairment charges and the shadow of 2008 all cast over banks third-quarter results but beneath the fog investors are rewarding the FTSE 100’s top lenders for another bumper quarter. The FTSE 350 banks index has risen nearly four per cent this month and is up 17 per cent for the [...]