Bank of England cuts interest rates to near three-year low December 18, 2025 The Bank of England has delivered a pre-Christmas rate cut, reducing its central interest rate to 3.75 per cent amid a deteriorating labour market and signs price rises will continue to slow into the new year. In a close 5-4 vote that was decided by Andrew Bailey, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) chose to reduce [...]
‘Chance of 2026 recession’ despite interest rate cut – follow live December 18, 2025 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The Bank of England has handed Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Labour government a highly-desired Christmas present today. The central bank confirmed a chop to interest rates falling to 3.75 per cent – the lowest in nearly three years. It comes after inflation undershot expectations on Wednesday providing [...]
Is the Premier League decoupling from the rest of English football? December 18, 2025 Ed Warner pores over a report on the polarisation of English football and comes up with a solution to the Premier League’s stand-off with the EFL for the new regulator. “I just hope they don’t mess it up.” The Premier League club chairman’s answer to my question about his hopes for the Independent Football Regulator [...]
The Capitalist: City of London cracks down on public defecation December 18, 2025 The City launches a festive anti-defecation campaign, The Capitalist meets the King and BP does the hoedown throwdown.
Brits’ disposable income shrinks in disappointing Golden Quarter December 18, 2025 Brits feel far poorer now than they did at the start of 2025, with even high-income households downbeat about their financial prospects. In January, people were four per cent more likely to say their pay had gone up rather than down, but Brits are now seven per cent more likely to have seen their pay [...]
How Christmas lights give London its sparkle December 18, 2025 London’s festive lights, a tradition since 1954, are integral to the capital’s economic and social vitality, says Karen Baines When London switched on its first festive lights along Regent Street in 1954, few could have imagined how profoundly they would come to define the season. That gesture lit the way for a much-loved tradition that [...]
The real meaning of Christmas? Capitalism! December 18, 2025 The message of Christmas – as Dickens and the Muppets knew – is that sharing wealth, rather than hording it brings both prosperity and joy to the world, writes James Price As we approach Christmas, capitalism is wont to come in for some criticism. Several classic Christmas movies, like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s [...]
12 predictions for AI in 2026 December 18, 2025 A year of building an AI business has given Lewis Liu a lot to think about. He gives us his 12 AI assumptions to live by in 2026.
For Starmer, things can only get worse December 18, 2025 It’s been a bad year for Starmer, characterised by scandals, economic woes and plummeting poll ratings – and it looks 2026 is going to be no better, says Tom Harwood As we all enjoy late December’s time honoured if questionable traditions of frantic Christmas shopping, parties and hangovers – please spare a thought for one [...]
Mark Kleinman: Corporates queue up for 2026 p(l)ay-date December 18, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column Corporates queue up for 2026 p(l)ay-date Talk about being on the naughty step. For Anglo American, sealing its $60bn merger with Canada’s Teck Resources – and in the process putting well and truly paid to BHP’s [...]