‘Time to worry about recession’ – Bank faces pressure to cut rates as economy shrinks December 12, 2025 The Bank of England is coming under mounting pressure to give a shot in the arm to the ailing UK economy after fresh data revealed it suffered another contraction in October. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will meet next Thursday where economists are pencilling a 25 basis point reduction to interest rates taking [...]
Sumer Group, champions of SMEs, leading the way towards economic growth December 12, 2025 They tackled Brexit head-on, survived Covid, coped with the impact of the war in Ukraine and battled rising costs. The latest growth forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility presents a further challenge with the OBR reducing their expectations for productivity growth by 0.3ppts to 1 per cent. In times of uncertainty these businesses have [...]
R360 or Ultimate Sevens: Which rugby project would I invest in? December 12, 2025 Everyone is an investment expert these days, with a proposal they say will save rugby and a project that will see a return on that backing. Whether it is the Prem Rugby franchising project, a developing league in the United States or South America, the delayed R360 proposal or the Ultimate Sevens project; there’s an [...]
Public spending fuelled growth spurt ‘no cause for celebration’ December 12, 2025 Labour’s “spend now, tax later” approach to fiscal policy will drive higher growth than previously expected, an industry group has said, but will leave UK public finances in a “vulnerable” position. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) upgraded its growth forecast for next year from 1 per cent to 1.3 per cent, with an extra [...]
2025: It’s been one hell of a year for UK business December 11, 2025 From political drama to market volatility, cyber attacks, takeovers and trade wars – 2025 has not been plain sailing. January: motor finance and angry farmers We began the year reporting on the exodus from the London stock exchange noting that 2024 had been the quietest year on record for new listings and we suggested that [...]
Andrew Bailey: Private credit should have looser rules than banks December 11, 2025 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said regulation of the booming private credit sector should be more light-touch than traditional lenders despite the central bank’s fears that a blow-up of the industry remains one of the most significant threats to UK financial stability. Bailey told an online event that the fallout from a banking [...]
UK exports forecast downgraded as Labour fails to kickstart trade December 11, 2025 British export growth will fall by almost half next year, a business forecaster has said, with Labour’s string of deals failing to improve hopes of a revival in international trade. The Labour government has made trade a key lever to boost growth prospects, using new deals with the likes of the EU and India to [...]
Greedy Fifa rinsing fans over World Cup tickets – even Americans are baulking December 11, 2025 Ed Warner finds that even Americans accustomed to paying through the nose for live sport are outraged at the prices Fifa is allowing to be set for tickets at the 2026 World Cup. It was a bitterly cold evening in Boston, the temperature well below zero, and yet the Bruins fans still rolled up to [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BoE rate decision in focus after Fed cut December 11, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. Last night the US Federal Reserve met and agreed to lower interest rates by a quarter-point to between 3.5 and 3.75 per cent. But it was far from a tranquil meeting, with policymakers battling it out over whether to prioritise high inflation or a poor labour market. [...]
The Capitalist: Feeling Bullish Lord Cameron? December 11, 2025 David Cameron’s selective memory, a smooth landing for Andrew Bailey and a lack of Christmas spirit at ARM in this week’s Capitalist David Cameron recently celebrated the 20 year anniversary of his election as leader of the Tory party, which he won on a platform of modernising the Conservatives. His days in the notorious Bullingdon [...]