‘Uncharted territory’: UK economy facing shocks as diesel and borrowing costs surge Economics The UK economy entered “uncharted territory” on Monday battling an assortment of financial pressures as fears intensified ahead of the next Budget. Diesel costs surged to a record high of 199.18p per litre marking the latest energy shock on the UK economy. Stations were registered as charging 199.18p per litre, according to the RAC. The [...]
Borrowing costs fall after Bank of England ‘surprises’ markets with bond sale change Economics 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 [...]
Government policy, not the Bank of England will determine future interest rate hikes Opinion 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 [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 rises after inflation jump; oil supply in focus September 16, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. UK inflation has seen a fresh spike to 3.1 per cent in August, up from 2.9 per cent the month prior. The fresh print comes as Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – holds around the $108 per barrel mark, near four-month highs. Industry data managed [...]
Mortgage rates at five-month high ahead of Bank of England decision September 14, 2026 Borrowers are bracing for more mortgage woes ahead of the Bank of England’s interest rate decision this week. Mortgage rates have climbed to their highest level in nearly five months after some 25 lenders hiked their deals in the last week including the likes of HSBC, Lloyds and Nationwide. The average two-year fix has risen [...]
Five lenders hike mortgage prices as interest rate threat looms September 8, 2026 Five lenders hiked the price on their mortgage deals to kick off the week as the threat of the Bank of England increasing interest rates looms over the UK economy. Barclays has raised its rates on a fleet of products by nearly 0.2 per cent, with its two-year fixed rate rising to 5.53 per cent [...]
Inflation expectations softer than predicted ahead of interest rate decision September 4, 2026 Firms intend to raise prices over the next year on average at a lower rate than many economists have expected, Bank of England research has shown, easing concerns that the UK economy is heading for a deeper cost of living crisis. The Decision Makers’ Panel, a Bank survey of how far firms plan to raise [...]
Natwest hikes targets again after jump in profit July 31, 2026 Natwest has upgraded its income targets for a second quarter running as the bank posted better than expected profit and dished out a bumper dividend to investors. The blue-chip lender reported a 20 per cent jump in pre-tax profit in the first six months of 2026 to £4.3bn, up from £3.6bn the year prior and [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates but warns of rises to come July 30, 2026 The Bank of England has opted to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent after the UK economy surprised economists with better results for inflation – though policymakers warned that “policy strategy could change” ahead of a difficult second half of the year for price stability. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held interest rates in [...]
Bank of England may set the stage for interest rate hikes this year July 30, 2026 The Bank of England could today roll the pitch for a series of interest rate hikes this year after price shocks triggered by the war in Iran rippled through the global economy in the past quarter, City analysts have predicted. Analysts across financial firms in the City are expecting the Bank to leave interest rates [...]