Slower April wage growth to feed into interest rate cut hopes June 9, 2025 An expected drop in wage growth in April compared to the previous month could encourage Bank of England officials to vote for further interest rate cuts this year, leading analysts have suggested. Labour market data for April, which is due to be published on Tuesday morning, is set to reveal wage growth has cooled while [...]
How defence can lead growth through private investment June 9, 2025 The UK’s Strategic Defence Review outlines ambitious long-term reforms, but by leveraging its strengths in finance, AI, and commercial shipping, Britain can achieve rapid defence innovation and capability gains without immediate major spending increases, says Julien de Saint-Quentin The Strategic Defence Review (SDR), published last week, was presented as a ‘transformative’, ‘once-in a generation’ exercise. [...]
Rachel Reeves may have to ‘revisit’ manifesto tax pledges to meet fiscal rules, economists warn June 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves may have to tear up Labour’s manifesto tax commitments to meet her tight fiscal rules, economists have warned, as the Chancellor battles to balance the books amid calls for higher spending on defence and welfare. A suite of new day-to-day spending commitments made by the Treasury in recent weeks, including reversing cuts to [...]
House prices dip in May after stamp duty change June 6, 2025 House prices in the UK fell slightly in May after market activity dropped following the end of the stamp duty holiday earlier this year according to the latest data from lender Halifax. Prices fell by 0.4 per cent in May after rising 0.3 per cent in April, putting the value of an average UK home [...]
Has Klarna’s buy now, pay later bubble burst? June 6, 2025 Buy now, pay later services have exploded in the last decade and industry titan Klarna has spearheaded growth. The global BNPL market is expected to top $560.1bn (£412.8bn) in 2025 with 13.7 per cent annual growth. Swedish fintech Klarna has historically dominated the space, notching a net operating income of $1.087bn in 2020. The firm [...]
What is fiscal drag and how you can avoid it? June 6, 2025 Millions more people will find themselves paying higher income tax due to frozen tax thresholds, but there are ways to prepare. Around 8.3m people will be paying more tax by 2029, a forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility shows. This phenomenon is known as fiscal drag. Fiscal drag occurs when earnings rise but tax [...]
Labour’s not for turning but the Inheritance Tax battle will rumble on June 5, 2025 Civil servants and politicians could not believe their eyes. As the hoarse grumble of diesel motors thundered along Whitehall, a fleet of tractors descended onto Parliament Square, heralded by a cacophony of honks to the tune of Aqua’s Barbie Girl. Beginning in November, farmers marched to Westminster to protest the government’s inheritance tax (IHT) reforms. [...]
ECB cuts interest rates as UK ‘hesitation’ risks dealmaking strength June 5, 2025 Interest rates in the eurozone have been cut, taking the deposit facility rate to two per cent as fresh data suggested inflation came in just under the European Central Bank (ECB)’s two per cent target rate in May. The cut means the ECB’s rate now stands at two per cent, a halving of rates set two [...]
Pisces: FCA’s private stock market will worsen FOMO investing June 5, 2025 The FCA's new private stock market Pisces comes into force today, but Carrie Osmon warns the framework risks worsening FOMO investing.
ONS blames government figures after revealing April inflation error June 5, 2025 There was renewed scrutiny over the credibility of figures produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) after the government body admitted an error in its inflation calculations for April. According to the ONS, the issue arose after the government overstated the number of vehicles subject to the vehicle excise duty. The UK stats body [...]