Bank of England’s Bailey: Central banks must challenge populism January 16, 2026 Andrew Bailey has called on central banks international institutions to stand up to proponents of populism with their words and actions, warning that organisations like the Bank of England are being painted as “unresponsive and acting for the benefit of powerful” interests. In a speech to a group of economists and officials in London, governor [...]
Watch: We’ll regret granting this embassy to hostile China January 15, 2026 Is China our enemy or our ally? Is it an adversary or a partner? The trading relationship is huge, but so are the security risks. In the City, China means big business. Last year the UK exported £30bn worth of goods and services to China while we bought £70bn worth from them. But we exported [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold surges amid Trump tensions; JLR leads growth rebound January 15, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Rachel Reeves’ report card for 2025 has received another dim review with fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing growth came in at a sluggish 0.1 per cent in the three months to November 2025. This was led by a modest rebound [...]
Bank of England’s Taylor: Trade with China to drive interest rate cuts January 14, 2026 Cheap goods flooding into the UK from China will lower inflation and prompt the Bank of England to cut interest rates further, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee has said. Alan Taylor, considered to be the most dovish rate-setter on the MPC, warned that cheap goods flowing in from China would lower inflation over [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BP’s $5bn hit; Prudential taps ex-HSBC chair January 14, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Investors were taking a back seat to risk on Tuesday after President Donald Trump’s latest salvo on the Federal Reserve rocked global markets. The US Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into the Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, as Trump escalated his crusade against the central bank’s [...]
Former OBR chair takes aim at Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules January 13, 2026 The former chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility has taken aim at Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules, suggesting they prevent UK public finances from building enough “resilience”. In his first public appearance since his resignation last month due to the leaked Budget, Richard Hughes said the current fiscal rules were “among the loosest” the [...]
Young people seek to boost savings to offset cost of living squeeze January 13, 2026 Young people are seeking to save more money in 2026, as the cost of living crisis focuses minds on careful financial management. According to the latest City AM polling from Freshwater strategy, over half of Britons are aiming to save money, but a staggering 70 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds are prioritising [...]
Central banks throw weight behind Fed after Trump assault January 13, 2026 Some of the world’s most prominent central banks have issued a full-throated support of the Federal Reserve and its chair Jay Powell, after Donald Trump’s campaign against its independence escalated with a Department of Justice legal action. In an unusual joint intervention, 11 central banking chiefs declared they stood in “full solidarity” with the Fed’s [...]
Business confidence lowest in nearly five years, BDO says January 12, 2026 Business confidence fell to its lowest level in nearly five years, an advisory company indicated, as the Labour government is expected to oversee a small improvement in the UK economy this year. BDO’s optimism index, which tracks sentiment by surveying 4,000 executives, dropped to its weakest reading since January 2021 at the end of last [...]
On this day 1799: Britain’s first income tax January 9, 2026 On this day, 9 January 1799, Britain introduced its first 'temporary' income tax. Workers have been vexed ever since, writes Eliot Wilson.