HSBC ‘encouraged’ by Burnham agenda despite tax threat and growth downgrade October 27, 2026 HSBC’s finance boss said the bank is “very encouraged” by Andy Burnham’s agenda, despite slashing its UK growth forecast ahead of a potential tax raid. Pam Kaur, HSBC’s chief financial officer, said: “The UK is our home market, our focus in the UK is supporting customers with their growth ambitions.” But when asked about a [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 slides as oil holds at $115; tech surges October 27, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 live blog. The FTSE 100 is sliding after a bruising session for heavyweight stocks, while tech continues to perform elsewhere. Brent crude is also trading above $115 per barrel as renewed diplomatic efforts in the Middle East raised hopes of preventing a wider escalation of the US-Iran [...]
Autumn Budget 2026: Healey will buy some time with the bond markets October 27, 2026 Ahead of the upcoming Budget, the Debt Management Office’s financing choices and shifting market demands pose a critical test for government borrowing stability, says Helen Thomas Another year, another Budget. The same party remains in charge, but a fresh cast of characters will deliver it, bringing fresh uncertainty over the government’s economic direction. For John [...]
Healey warned ‘the dam is breaking’ on shop price inflation October 27, 2026 The Chancellor has been warned that the “dam is starting to break” on surging shop price inflation, which retailers had kept at bay with heavy discounting. Shop prices rose by 2.1 per cent in the year to October, according to new data from the British Retail Consortium, ahead of September’s 1.4 per cent and the [...]
The anatomy of a bank tax: what can the UK learn from Europe? October 26, 2026 With days to go until John Healey delivers a Budget expected to target banks with a cash raid, Samuel Norman looks at the UK bank tax framework and other experiments across Europe. For years City lobbyists managed to bat away demands for a bank tax hike. As Chancellor, despite delivering two tax-heavy Budgets, Rachel Reeves [...]
The major Budget questions facing John Healey in four charts October 26, 2026 John Healey faces several tests in delivering a Budget that keeps the UK economy on course to grow. Mauricio Alencar looks at the questions he will have to answer at the despatch box. Investors are heading into the upcoming Budget with a lot of unknowns. John Healey faces a test in balancing expectations between different [...]
Healey’s first Budget calls for restraint October 23, 2026 With fiscal headroom under pressure, expect targeted support and modest tax rises in the Autumn Budget, leaving bigger decisions for next year, writes Philip Shaw. John Healey’s first Budget on 28 October will test how the Government reconciles its ambitions with financial reality. Although the UK economy is on course to grow this year, the [...]
CRH completes $8.5B acquisition of Arcosa October 23, 2026 CRH (NYSE: CRH), the leading provider of building materials, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Arcosa, Inc. CRH previously announced on June 22, 2026 that it had reached an agreement to acquire Arcosa, a leading U.S. provider of aggregates and critical infrastructure products, for a total enterprise value of approximately $8.5 billion. [...]
How John Healey clamped down on Treasury speculation October 23, 2026 Since entering Downing Street in July, John Healey has faced criticism from some business chiefs over an economic vision that seems similar to Rachel Reeves. But one aspect of running the Treasury has split Healey from his predecessor more than any other: keeping a lid on Budget rumours. After being appointed Chancellor, City AM can [...]
Retail sales fall faster than expected ahead of Budget October 23, 2026 Retail sales fell at a faster pace than expected in September, new figures have shown, as consumer confidence suffered a major drop ahead of the Budget. Total sales at retailers fell 0.4 per cent in September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a bigger drop than the 0.1 per cent forecast by City [...]