Inflation eases to three per cent boosting interest rate cut hopes February 18, 2026 Inflation fell to its lowest level in nearly a year last month, new figures show, giving a further boost to hopes that the Bank of England will cut interest rates in March. The headline rate dipped to 3.0 per cent in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), down from 3.4 per cent [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Inflation falls to near year-low; BAE leads stock rally February 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Inflation has fallen to a near year-low this morning hitting its slowest pace since March and fuelling hopes that the Bank of England will take the chop to interest rates next month. New data from the Official for National Statistics showed rose the Consumer Price [...]
A university education is no longer good value for money February 18, 2026 Students have been turned into customers but the product they’re buying is worthless and it’s underwritten by the taxpayer, says Paul Ormerod The plight of graduates burdened with debt has been a prominent feature in the media over the past week or so. Hundreds of thousands will never earn enough to repay their student borrowings, [...]
Bank of England took ‘eye off ball on inflation’, says Jenrick February 18, 2026 Robert Jenrick is set to make his first major pitch to the City, in his first major outing as Reform’s spokesman on Treasury matters. The Newark MP is expected to commit to the independence of the Bank of England but pledge to “strip the Bank of distractions which have been loaded onto it”. “We will [...]
Hospitality crisis pushed thousands of firms to shut in 2025 February 17, 2026 Thousands of hospitality industries were forced to call time last year, as soaring operating costs took their toll. The owners of 3,353 accommodation, food and drink firms entered insolvency proceedings in the twelve months to December 2025, according to the Buchler Phillips hospitality index. These insolvencies spell out the impact of food inflation and climbing [...]
Is AI really to blame for Britain’s rising unemployment? February 17, 2026 Unemployment has risen to 5.2 per cent, the highest level since 2021, as the UK’s labour market continues to cool. But how much of that stagnation can reasonably be attributed to AI? The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show the jobless rate climbed in the three months to December, while the number of [...]
Labour’s employment legislation and national insurance blamed for rising joblessness February 17, 2026 National insurance hikes and the employment rights act mean businesses are being forced to cut back on hiring, business leaders and analysts have said. The labour market continued to loosen at the end of last year, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, with unemployment climbing to 5.2 per cent between October and [...]
Allegion (NYSE: ALLE) Reports Q4, Full-Year 2025 Financial Results, Introduces 2026 Outlook February 17, 2026 High-Single Digit Revenue Growth for the Enterprise and Continued Strength in Americas Non-Residential Quarterly Financial Highlights (All comparisons are year-over-year, unless otherwise noted) Net earnings per share (EPS) of $1.70, up 3.0% compared with $1.65; Adjusted EPS of $1.94, up 4.3% compared with $1.86 Revenues of $1,033.2 million, up 9.3% on a reported basis and up 3.3% on an organic basis Operating margin of 20.3%, compared with 19.5%; Adjusted operating margin of 22.4%, compared with 22.1% Full-Year Financial Highlights (All comparisons are year-over-year, unless otherwise noted) EPS of $7.44, up 9.1% compared with $6.82; Adjusted EPS of $8.14, up 8.1% compared with $7.53 Revenues of $4,067.3 million, up 7.8% on a reported basis and up 4.1% on an organic basis Operating margin of 21.1%, compared with 20.7%; Adjusted operating margin of 23.2%, up 40 basis points compared with 22.8% Available cash flow, which is defined as net cash from operating activities minus capital expenditures, was $685.7 million for 2025, an increase of 17.6% 2026 Full-Year Outlook Highlights Full-year reported revenue growth is estimated to be 5% to 7%, with organic revenue growth estimated to be 2% to 4% Full-year adjusted EPS is estimated to be $8.70 to $8.90 Available cash flow is estimated to be 85% to 95% of adjusted net income
The government doesn’t trust Sadiq Khan to run London’s trains February 17, 2026 The Labour government is handing control of London’s suburban rail to Great British Rail instead of TfL because they’ve seen how badly Sadiq Khan has mismanaged the tube, says Thomas Turrell GBR – Great British Rail. You’ve heard of it, you’ve probably seen the Union flag livery it’s going to be coated in, and you’re [...]
Non-cash ISA understanding low despite government push February 16, 2026 UK savers understanding of non-cash ISA products, is lower than its cash counterpart, reflecting the lack of knowledge surrounding options despite the government push to move Brits away from cash. According to the latest analysis from investment platform Robinhood, just under half of investors confirmed having minimal knowledge of how stocks and shares ISAs work, [...]