Bank of England Live: Interest rates held as hawks warn of ‘highly uncertain’ energy prices Markets Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has today decided to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a hawkish display. In last month’s decision, the Bank held rates in a unanimous decision. Afterwards, short-term gilt yields, which reflect government borrowing costs, sharply rose as traders priced [...]
Lloyds shares drop after income upgrade on higher interest rates Banking Lloyds Banking Group has upgraded its income targets for the year as the bank expects to bring in more cash as interest rates remain elevated from the Iran war. The FTSE 100 financial giant – which counts Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland among its subsidiaries – said it expects net interest income to [...]
‘There’s a lot of risk out there’ – Bank of England warns of market ‘adjustment’ Markets A top Bank of England official has warned that global markets could fall even further with current share prices not reflecting the economic risks at play. Sarah Breeden, the Bank’s deputy governor for financial stability, said: “There’s a lot of risk out there and yet asset prices are at all-time highs. “We expect there will [...]
Unemployment to peak at 5.8 per cent as jobs market faces ‘biggest hit’ since pandemic April 20, 2026 Britain is set to be “pushed to the brink of a technical recession” in the coming year as the economic fallout of the war in Iran dampens growth prospects and sends unemployment soaring. The latest Item Club report sees the UK economy flatlining in the second and third quarters as it digests the consequences of [...]
Santander and TSB kick off mortgage rate cuts after Iran turmoil April 16, 2026 Santander and TSB have kicked off the mortgage rate cutting cycle after lenders pulled deals and hiked their rates amidst the turmoil in Iran. From Thursday, Santander said it would be lower the price on higher loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages products by near 0.3 per cent, which includes its two-year fixed, first-time buyer products. Meanwhile, TSB said it [...]
Bank of England: UK economy risks ‘large and overlapping’ shocks April 1, 2026 The Bank of England has issued a major warning that the financial system is facing increasing risks of “large, frequent and potentially overlapping shocks” amid the volatility from the Middle East war‘ and ongoing market risks’s impact on energy and global markets. In the latest meeting of the central bank’s Financial Policy Committee top officials [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks soar as Trump claims ‘victory’ in Iran; Economists clash on inflation March 25, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Fresh figures this morning revealed inflation rose three per cent in the year to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January 2026. Grant Fitzner said: “The largest upwards driver was the price of clothing, which rose this month but fell a year ago. “This was offset [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held in first unanimous vote in eight years March 19, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s ongoing coverage of the interest rates decision. Interest rates have been held as rate-setters at the Bank of England warned the war in Iran could send prices spiralling as soon as April. In the first totally unanimous vote in eight years, all members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to [...]
‘No one expects’ Bank of England to cut interest rates, says former MPC member March 17, 2026 A former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has said that “no one expects a cut” to interest rates amidst deepening conflict in the Middle East. Prof Jonathan Haskel, who is also a member of City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee, told BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme he believes a rates [...]
Bank of England: We can’t eliminate bias in AI March 16, 2026 A top boss at the Bank of England has warned the use of artificial intelligence programs will never be bias-free and instead users must be aware of the risk. Jem Davis, chief compliance officer at the Bank of England, said: “My view is you’re probably not going to be able to eliminate bias completely, but [...]