Rightmove reveals fixed-rate mortgages back over 5 per cent as house prices slip again May 8, 2026 Average house price down to to £299,313 in April from £299,609 the month before A closely-watched survey from one of the UK’s biggest home loan providers has found that house prices slipped again last month. The Halifax said the prospect of higher bills at a time of rising inflation was a factor in the market. [...]
Gilt rout sparks calls for Bank of England to slow ‘unusual’ bond sale programme May 7, 2026 The Bank of England should slow the pace of its costly approach to unwinding quantitative easing, which is pushing up government borrowing costs and weakening the public finances at a time when both are under significant pressure, several top economists have said. The calls follow the UK’s sovereign debt being swept up in a dramatic [...]
KBRA Releases Research – Sovereign Bond Supply Meets a More Demanding Market May 7, 2026 KBRA releases research examining how European and UK sovereign bond markets remain well supported, but are clearing at a higher cost. The report highlights that strong auction coverage and large order books continue to demonstrate deep demand, although elevated deficits, heavy redemptions, and quantitative tightening are keeping supply needs high. At the same time, limited [...]
No, a pint does not cost £10 in London (see for yourself) May 7, 2026 Headlines appeared over the weekend that a London pint now costs £10. This leaves a bitter taste. Granted, look hard enough and you’ll find a private members’ club here, a chichi restaurant there, that has found customers with deep enough pockets to pay a fortune for supermarket lager. But this has always been true – [...]
Construction output tumbles as builders hit by surging costs and red tape May 7, 2026 The UK’s construction sector suffered a sharp fall in activity last month, as the Iran war batters confidence and drives up prices. S&P Global’s monthly construction index for the UK dropped to 39.7 in April, down from 45.6 in March. Builders are beginning to suffer from rising material costs caused by the blockage to the [...]
JD Sports warns of ‘muted growth’ amid weak consumer spending May 7, 2026 JD Sports has seen profit fall as the sportswear retailer warned it is preparing for a period of “muted” growth amid weak consumer spending and potential Iran war cost pressures. Pre-tax profit at the FTSE 100 firm fell by 12 per cent to £629m in the year to January, even as sales rose by 12 [...]
Local elections 2026: City awaits ‘significant’ event for Labour leadership May 7, 2026 City giants have warned today’s local elections will be “significant” for market pricing, with traders keeping a close eye on possible leadership moves made by the likes of Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham. Several financial behemoths have lined up to warn investors that results across the country over the coming days could be unusually important [...]
FTSE 100 banks are facing £2.5bn of headwinds – HSBC and Barclays are in the firing line May 6, 2026 The FTSE 100’s Big Five banks toasted a healthy profit stash in the first-quarter, but, says Samuel Norman, storm clouds are gathering on the horizon for the sector. The London market’s five biggest banks swallowed a bitter cocktail of economic risks in the first three months of the year leaving a bumper cash haul overshadowed [...]
Who Gives a Crap: The toilet roll tycoon making a splash May 6, 2026 Simon Griffiths founded Who Gives a Crap toilet paper with the philanthropic aim of ensuring everyone has access to a clean toilet. He has raised £11m so far, but Griffiths tells Felix Armstrong that’s not nearly enough “I was always an entrepreneurial kid at school,” Simon Griffiths says, as he explains the complex process of [...]
Businesses cut jobs for 19 consecutive months yet ‘growth holds up’ May 6, 2026 Businesses have now cut jobs for 19 consecutive months as researchers warned that higher payroll costs and productivity gains have forced employers in the services sector to rethink hiring plans. Results from S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) suggested that lower staffing numbers across the UK’s dominant services sector have been recorded in each month [...]