On this day: Britain pays off its debt to America December 29, 2025 On 29 December 2006, the government paid its final instalment of its post-war loan repayments to America, writes Eliot Wilson Nineteen years ago today, on 29 December 2006, the recently appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Ed Balls, made an historic announcement. The government was paying the final instalment of the loan given by the [...]
Can you complete City AM’s economics quiz of 2025? December 24, 2025 Test your knowledge with City AM‘s Economics Quiz of 2025. The first full calendar year of the Labour government has not been particularly pretty for the UK economy. The unemployment rate has edged up to 5.1 per cent, inflation rose far above the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target rate and economic activity was [...]
Regulators show their teeth – financial services fines in 2025 December 24, 2025 UK watchdogs sharpened their sword in 2025 and slapped a handful of financial services firms with hefty fines and a thorough dressing down. In just under a week alone in July, the Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England handed out £74.9m worth of fines to a trio of financial services giants. But it was [...]
Tears, scandal, c*ck-ups and conspiracy: Westminster’s worst moments of 2025 December 23, 2025 Westminster never disappoints. When Keir Starmer came into Downing Street, he promised that politics would “tread more lightly” on the lives of everyday people. He was likely referring to the farce of Partygate, leadership battles and political blunders under successive Tory governments. But Labour have got caught up in less than pleasant situations of their [...]
Janus Henderson Group plc to be Acquired by Trian Fund Management and General Catalyst for $7.4 Billion December 22, 2025 Janus Henderson Shareholders to Receive $49.00 per Share in Cash Transaction Represents a Premium of 18% to the Unaffected Closing Price on October 24, 2025 Significant Long-Term Investment to Be Made in Product Offerings, Client Services, Technology, and Talent
Tech hiring set to spike despite dire UK job market December 22, 2025 The UK labour market may be flashing warning signs, but demand for IT and tech professionals seems to be moving in the opposite direction. Over half of British businesses plan to expand their permanent IT and tech teams in the first half of next year, according to new research from recruitment firm Robert Half, a [...]
UK economic growth downgraded for second quarter December 22, 2025 Growth in the UK economy was revised downwards on Monday after fresh figures revealed economy expanded less than initially thought in the second quarter. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) cut the UK’s economic growth in the three months to June to 0.2 per cent from 0.3 per cent previously. The third quarter’s sluggish 0.1 [...]
Metro Bank handed capital boost from banking watchdog December 19, 2025 High street lender Metro Bank is set for a major capital boost after a reclassification from the banking watchdog. The FTSE 250 firm said on Friday it has received confirmation from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) that it would be listed as a transfer firm under the newly introduced MREL regime from 2026. Introduced in [...]
Bailey sounds alarm on AI as youth unemployment jumps December 19, 2025 AI could displace workers on a scale not seen since the Industrial Revolution, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned, as the UK jobs market shows fresh signs of strain. Bailey said the rapid adoption of AI across the economy was “most likely” to have a similar effect to past technological upheavals. “As you [...]
Inflation can become a self-fulfilling prophecy December 19, 2025 Managing inflation expectations will be a key challenge in the coming year, says Daniel Mahoney When does a prophecy become a reality? Since the 1970s, it has been conventional wisdom that the key to controlling inflation is controlling inflation expectations – but outside economics circles it is not often appreciated why. However, managing expectations increasingly [...]