Is Japan about to have a Liz Truss moment? February 6, 2026 Japan’s upcoming election could trigger a global economic crisis similar to the UK’s “Liz Truss moment” due to the country’s high debt, plans for fiscal expansion by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and the potential for a bond selloff, says David Stritch The Japanese election this Sunday may seem remote to British observers – especially with [...]
Time to take a Milei-style chainsaw to the nanny state February 6, 2026 Ask any business what is the biggest barrier to growth and time and again they will tell you it’s regulation, says Jamila Robertson In a recent talk at the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), the former Bank of England Governor, Lord King, reflected that the Bank of England staff had risen from 2,000 to 5,000 [...]
Starmer future speculation sparks sell-off in long-dated bonds and pound February 5, 2026 Speculation over Keir Starmer’s future has unleashed a fresh round of market unease, with investors dumping the pound, UK equities and long-dated government bonds amid the political uncertainty. The gulf in price between the UK’s short- and long-term debt – known as the yield curve – reached its highest since 2018, in a sign investors [...]
Bank of England raises alarm on unemployment as interest rates unchanged February 5, 2026 The Bank of England has held interest rates but policymakers warned that the spiralling unemployment rate and weak growth was weighing down on price growth. In its decision on Thursday, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 to leave interest rates at 3.75 per cent. But economists warned that unemployment could jump higher over the [...]
Bank of England Live: Interest rates held in narrow 5-4 call February 5, 2026 Good morning and welcome to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England’s monetary committee has decided to hold rates in its first meet of the year. Markets – and City AM‘s own Shadow MPC – had placed their bets on a hold as the Bank continues its gradual chop to the base rate. In [...]
Mark Kleinman: South East Water’s excuses have run dry February 5, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column South East Water’s excuses have run dry How the water industry could do with the raising of a Mervyn King eyebrow. While governor of the Bank of England in 2012, Lord King defenestrated Bob Diamond as [...]
Watchdog warns on ‘fire sale dynamics’ risk in repo market February 4, 2026 The global financial watchdog has urged regulators to cast a closer eye over the ways in which leveraged trades in the short-term repo market could amplify financial stability risks worldwide. Regulators at the Financial Stability Board (FSB) are particularly concerned that leveraged investors might be forced to dump their assets in the event of a [...]
Barclays and Natwest set for bidding war in race to beef up wealth arms February 4, 2026 Barclays and Natwest are set for a bidding war as the banks prepare to make their play to snap up Evelyn Partners amid the race to beef up wealth management arms. The blue-chip lenders are both gearing up to table offers of over £2bn for the London-based wealth manager. A successful takeover would help enhance [...]
Bank of England to avoid signalling faster interest rate cuts February 4, 2026 The Bank of England will not signal a faster pace of interest rate cuts over the coming months to combat jobs market woes across the UK economy, with some economists fearing it could send markets mixed messages on monetary policy. Markets expect interest rates to be held at 3.75 per cent on Thursday due to [...]
Exclusive: PSG in talks with Netflix show Emily in Paris over appearance February 4, 2026 Paris Saint-Germain are in discussions with the makers of hit Netflix show Emily in Paris about a potential collaboration in the future, City AM can reveal. The talks could see the Champions League holders and Club World Cup finalists feature in a future episode of the series, which follows the adventures of an American marketing [...]