Midday Markets: Is the UK economy ‘back’? Economics The Midday Market report is a new newsletter from City AM, giving you fresh analysis on the biggest stories in the City straight into your inbox every lunchtime. Today, Ali Lyon, assesses whether August’s positive GDP figures are a sign of a revival in the UK economy. Sign up to the City AM News Updates [...]
Economy set to shrink ahead of Budget in ‘difficult’ outlook Economics The UK economy is expected to have shrunk in August, despite hopes that the stronger-than-expected growth seen in June and July would continue. The latest gross domestic product (GDP) data, which will be released on Thursday, is expected to show a contraction of 0.1 per cent in August, according to City economists polled by Bloomberg. [...]
Global bond sell-off: Headache for Healey as gilt yields top six per cent Markets The yield that the UK government pays on its 30-year government bond rose above six per cent for the first time in this millennium, putting Chancellor John Healey in a collision course with markets. Long-term gilt yields, which determine the size of UK government borrowing costs, skimmed 6.04 per cent in the early hours of [...]
UK disposable income rises as benefits payouts soar ahead of wages September 30, 2026 The average UK household’s disposable income increased in the second quarter of the year driven by a rise in benefit payouts. Real household disposable income per head – which measures the average spending and saving capacity of Brits – increased by one per cent in the second quarter to £6,577, new figures from the Office [...]
Diesel ban: UK to be ‘even more exposed’ if Trump follows through on export threat September 25, 2026 After Trump announced a ban on exports of diesel, Mauricio Alencar explores how it could impact the UK economy. President Trump’s newest trade threat sent markets into a frenzy once again on Friday. Earlier this week, Trump said he would back Republican proposals to halt exports of diesel in order to ease prices ahead of [...]
Reeves’ ‘ambitious’ £14bn savings plan leaves Healey with a Budget headache September 23, 2026 Cost saving measures pencilled in by the last government have dramatically reduced Chancellor John Healey’s ability to look for spending cuts and efficiency gains at his first Budget, economists have warned, raising the prospect of fresh tax hikes. Healey is under pressure to rebuild his £23.6bn fiscal buffer, which is predicted to shrink due to [...]
‘Dismal’: Blow to Healey as government borrowing overshoots by billions September 22, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has missed key targets on government borrowing ahead of his inaugural Budget after the UK borrowed more than economists forecast in August. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing in August was £18.3bn, which was about £3.5bn above a prediction by the Office for Budget Responsibility and overshot market predictions. The [...]
Ignore the doomsters, Britain can lead on AI safety September 16, 2026 Despite valid concerns surrounding frontier AI risks, the UK should remain optimistic by implementing proportionate regulatory guardrails while continuing to support innovation and widespread adoption, says Russ Shaw The AI conversation has changed dramatically in the space of a few weeks. Not long ago, the dominant narrative was one of almost limitless possibility: AI transforming [...]
Bank of England poised to slow bond sale programme September 14, 2026 The Bank of England is likely to slow its unusual approach to offloading gilts after conceding it had pushed up borrowing costs at a time when government bond yields have hit near-record highs, economists have predicted. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee will vote to reduce the pace of its ‘quantitative tightening’ programme from £70bn to [...]
Businesses urge Healey to reduce cost pressures in pre-Budget campaigns September 10, 2026 The bosses of Britain’s largest industry groups have urged Chancellor John Healey to reduce the cost of business in order to boost growth across the UK economy, City AM has been informed. Several business chiefs sent letters to the Treasury on Wednesday night with demands for the government to relieve pressures on employers. Correspondence landing [...]