Rachel Reeves told ‘copy Margaret Thatcher’ with bank tax raid August 29, 2025 Britain’s banking titans are back in the hot seat as Rachel Reeves faces renewed calls to hike taxes on lenders. The self-described “iron Chancellor” has been advised to take a leaf out of Margaret Thatcher’s book with a fresh levy on banks that would hand the Treasury up to £8bn a year. The levy – [...]
Bank of England’s Mann: ‘Squeeze out’ inflation with rate holds August 26, 2025 Inflation is likely to become “persistently elevated” unless it is squeezed out with a more restrictive monetary policy than the Bank of England is currently predicting, a top Bank of England official has warned. In a hawkish speech delivered on Tuesday, Monetary Policy Committee member Catherine Mann said the spectre of further price rises looked [...]
Lloyds to hand shareholders over £17bn by 2027, analysts say August 26, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group shareholders are set for a bumper payout with analysts projecting the lender will return over £17bn to investors by 2027. The FTSE 100 giant was listed as Jefferies analysts “preferred” banking stock following a strong year-to-date performance. Shares in Lloyds have jumped over 50 per cent since January. The bank received a [...]
Trump says he will fire Federal Reserve governor August 26, 2025 President Donald Trump has said that he is firing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. The unprecedented move would constitute a sharp escalation in his battle to exert greater control over what has long been considered a financial institution independent from day-to-day politics. Mr Trump said in a letter posted on his Truth Social platform that [...]
Dovish Powell hints at more rate cuts in US August 22, 2025 The Federal Reserve is likely to cut US interest rates at its next decision in September, Jay Powell has said, despite the country’s softening labour market being in conflict with upward pressure in prices from Donald Trump’s tariffs. In an eagerly anticipated address at the Jackson Hole symposium, the Fed chair highlighted slower economic growth, [...]
Consumer confidence weak but rate cuts offer some reprieve August 22, 2025 The Bank of England’s fleet of interest rate cuts have helped lift consumer confidence in personal finance, a leading survey has suggested, but the prospect of high inflation has left sentiment vulnerable. Bank officials are closely monitoring the effects of looser monetary policy on consumption and confidence levels across the UK. GfK’s flagship consumer confidence survey [...]
No more interest rate cuts expected as inflation runs ‘miles above target’ August 20, 2025 No further interest rate cuts are expected to be made this year after inflation in the year to July was higher than economists forecast. Markets had priced in a 50 per cent chance of an interest rate cut being made at the Bank of England’s November meeting before fresh price growth data was published on [...]
OSB’s profit plunges due to falling interest rates August 20, 2025 OneSavings Bank (OSB) recorded a hefty hit to profit for the first half of 2025 as lower interest rates took a chunk out of the group’s bottom line. The London-listed firm posted a 20 per cent decline in profit before tax, which fell to £192.3m in the first half. Net interest income (NII) fell five [...]
Monzo to follow Revolut and Klarna with launch of mobile service August 19, 2025 Monzo has become the latest fintech darling to expand its lifestyle reach with the firm exploring the development of mobile phone services. The London-based firm is looking to offer a Monzo-branded service to its over 12 million in account holders. The service would follow rival Revolut issuing plans in April to enter the mobile market [...]
‘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 [...]