Bank of England rate-setter calls for interest rate cut May 30, 2025 A top Bank of England rate-setter has dismissed the latest spike in inflation and doubled down on calls for further interest rate cuts. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Alan Taylor said the fresh inflation surge was driven by “one-off factors” related to President Donald Trump’s trade war. Whilst he said recent trade progress, with the [...]
Peel Hunt founder: We’ve stopped taking enough risks in the UK May 29, 2025 We dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Tim Cockroft, founder of Singer Capital Markets and Peel Hunt, tells us about his career in this week’s Square Mile and Me CV What was your first job? Working in a menswear shop in Wokingham, it’s amazing how many people like dark [...]
Avison Young loses over £100m for a second year as more jobs cut May 29, 2025 More than £100m has been lost for a second consecutive year by the UK and European arm of global commercial real estate services firm Avison Young as it continued to cut jobs, it has been revealed. The Birmingham-headquartered division has reported a pre-tax loss of £101.8m for 2024, having posted the same total for 2023. [...]
Reeves’ tax raids crush business confidence – but worst is yet to come May 29, 2025 Business confidence plummeted in the three months to May as Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes took hold and firms have warned more pain is to come. Consumer services’ optimism marked its eight consecutive month of decline at -42 per cent, whilst levels of business value plunged to -56 per cent. This was down from -44 per [...]
IMF upgrades UK growth forecasts despite tariff turmoil May 27, 2025 The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its forecast for UK economic growth this year, despite warning that turmoil around US tariffs will stymie performance. The global body upgraded GDP growth predictions for the UK in 2025 to 1.2 per cent, up from the 1.1 per cent it had forecast last month. However, economists at the [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown predicts FTSE small cap surge amid low valuations May 27, 2025 Hargreaves Lansdown have backed the investment case for the smallest companies in the UK, predicting that the FTSE small cap sector will rally thanks to its low valuations. Describing the smaller companies investment space as “compelling,” the investment platform noted that over the last five years, the FTSE small cap index (excluding investment trusts) has [...]
‘The most calls I’ve ever had’ – Why Japanese bonds have suffered surging yields May 27, 2025 The Japanese bond market has suffered one of its worst weeks in years. An auction on Japan’s 20-year government bond saw its bid-to-cover ratio, a measure of demand, sink to levels last seen in 2012, while the auction’s tail, the gap between average and lowest-accepted prices, widened to the longest since 1987, in another sign [...]
Was Rayner’s leaked memo an early play for party leader? May 26, 2025 Rayner's 'leaked' memo was a reminder that she is cut from different stuff than our iron Chancellor, but was it strategic, asks Eliot Wilson.
Anglian Water gets £500m boost after criminal investigations May 23, 2025 Anglian Water has received a £500m boost from its shareholders just days after it was revealed it is facing a raft of criminal investigations. The company, which operates in the East of England, is owned by the Osprey Consortium which is made up of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Colonial First State and Industry Funds Management. [...]
Energy bills to fall as Ofgem cuts UK price cap by seven per cent May 23, 2025 UK households are set to see a modest drop in their energy bills this summer, after regulator Ofgem revealed a seven per cent cut to its quarterly price cap – the first reduction in a year. The announcement will bring the average annual bill for a typical household in the UK down from £1,849 to [...]