Global AI sell-off eases after bruising end of month performance November 2, 2026 The global AI sell-off eased on Monday as falling oil prices buoyed investors’ moods and sent them flocking back to tech stocks. After a bruising rout in tech shares on Wall Street last week, the Nasdaq Composite Index and the S&P 500 rose 1.2 per cent and 0.7 respectively on market open. It’s a sharp [...]
Banks battle for mortgages ahead of looming interest rate hike November 2, 2026 Britain’s biggest banks are battling for mortgage market share on razor-thin margins even as borrowers rush to remortgage ahead of looming interest rates hikes. The central bank is expected to lift its base rate to four per cent on Thursday – its first hike in three years – following a sharp resurgence in inflation. The [...]
Work-from-home rules are holding back young workers, says PwC boss November 1, 2026 Work-from-home policies are holding back young Brits at the start of their careers, the boss of PwC has claimed. Marco Amitrano, chief executive of the accounting giant, said policies brought in during the Covid pandemic had “good intentions” but have ultimately led to “adverse consequences” for young people. “Covid didn’t help and in this country [...]
Natwest and Nationwide set for biggest profit hit from Healey’s bank tax raid October 29, 2026 Natwest, Nationwide and Lloyds are set to feel the biggest hit to profit from John Healey’s bank tax raid, analysts have said. The trio of British banks, which have a larger domestic focus than their peers HSBC and Barclays, are the most exposed to Healey’s doubling of the surcharge, according to analysts at RBC. The [...]
Mark Kleinman: A Poundland probe should not be discounted October 29, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column. A Poundland probe should not be discounted Two for less than two quid. It sounds like the kind of offer shoppers expect to find on the shelves of a discount retailer, not a summary of its recent [...]
Budget 2026: Healey doubles bank tax to fund energy package October 28, 2026 John Healey has confirmed a “time limited” tax hike on the UK banking sector as a means to fund the government’s energy support package. The Chancellor will double the surcharge, which sits on top of corporation tax, to six per cent. The increase will begin in January and continue for 15 months. “I want to [...]
Jobs apocalypse: Britain’s biggest firms cut more than 130,000 roles in two years October 28, 2026 Britain’s biggest businesses have axed more than 130,000 jobs over the past two years, a City AM analysis has found, laying bare the scale of pressure facing firms amid surging employment costs and the growing tide of automation. The analysis compiled more than 250 separate media reports of layoffs, job cuts and company administrations at [...]
Developers urge Labour to cut red tape and boost housebuilding October 27, 2026 The government has been urged to slash red tape and boost housebuilding in the UK as the rate of construction of new homes falls well behind Labour’s own targets. A group of property and investment leaders have handed a set of proposals to the government which they say will get stalled housing schemes moving and [...]
Budget 2026: Will the real John Healey please stand up? October 27, 2026 John Healey is set to deliver his first Budget although business chiefs, trade unionists and bond traders are still unsure of what to expect. Maurício Alencar reports on whether he can assert his authority on Wednesday. In the period between Sir Keir Starmer leaving Number 10 and Andy Burnham taking over, ambitious Labour figures vied [...]
Revolut to take fight to high street banks with UK personal loans October 26, 2026 Revolut is ramping up its battle with high street banking giants with the launch of personal loans in the UK market. The digital bank said on Monday it would begin offering loans between £2,000 and £25,000, which will be repayable over one to five years. The firm has insisted loans will have “transparent terms” and [...]