Price pressures hit firms amid uncertain outlook and fears of interest rate hikes October 2, 2026 Firms’ inflation expectations for the next 12 months rose higher, according to closely watched Bank of England survey, the results of which could pile pressure on policymakers to raise interest rates. The Bank’s monthly survey of firms’ price expectations, the Decision Makers’ Panel, showed price expectations becoming more jittery as costs from the energy price [...]
Burnham’s ‘costly’ policy agenda sparks investor nerves October 1, 2026 Andy Burnham’s “costly” policy agenda and the resurgent threat of inflation are weighing on investors’ appetite for the UK, according to a closely-watched survey of top money managers, which also revealed waning hopes of a rebound in London’s IPO market this year. Berenberg’s Investor Barometer, which polled 300 international investors managing a combined $1 trillion, [...]
Britain may not be facing economic apocalypse, but it looks that way October 1, 2026 Despite a challenging economic landscape marked by rising inflation and borrowing costs, the UK economy demonstrates unexpected resilience and potential for recovery, says Daniel Mahoney It is fair to say the economic landscape looks bleak. Brent Crude is hovering around $100 a barrel and rising gas prices are set to drive up inflation. Meanwhile, markets [...]
The huge costs facing Andy Burnham – and the financial tightrope he must walk October 1, 2026 Andy Burnham said he didn’t set out to deliver a “tub-thumping conference speech” but it was packed with huge pledges to take control over utilities and expand the state. Maurício Alencar considers just how costly his promises are in the long term – and in the next month. Andy Burnham had all the goodies for [...]
Mark Kleinman: Monzo deal needn’t be a hammer blow for UK tech October 1, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column. Monzo deal needn’t be a hammer blow for UK tech Monzo, Oaknorth, Revolut, Starling Bank – the queue of British fintech champions waiting to float in London is fast-disappearing. The latest to more-or-less evaporate? Monzo, if a [...]
UK bank lending growth to fall to three-year low October 1, 2026 Growth in UK bank lending is forecast to stall in the coming years as borrowers feel the pinch of uncertain economic conditions. Lending growth is expected to slow this year to 2.9 per cent before dropping to a three-year low of 2.2 per cent in 2027, according to figures from EY. The figures mark a [...]
Britain’s oldest brewery mulls future as cost pressures bite September 30, 2026 The family-run company behind Britain’s oldest brewery is exploring its future after wrestling with soaring costs and sliding sales. Shepherd Neame, which was founded in 1698 in Faversham, Kent and is the firm behind classic British beers Spitfire, Bishop’s Finger and Whitstable Bay, said it had begun a strategic review into its brewing operations “to [...]
Bailey calls for greater AI testing as risks to economy rise September 30, 2026 Andrew Bailey has called on governments to ramp up testing on frontier AI models before they are launched to the public, warning that advanced artificial intelligence posed sophisticated threats to the banking, markets and payments systems. In the first of a series of letters on the fledgling technology, the governor of the Bank of England [...]
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 [...]
Bank of England’s Taylor: No need for interest rate hike September 30, 2026 Bank of England official Alan Taylor has downplayed the need to raise interest rates in the face of the looming energy crisis, saying he saw no evidence that price rises from an initial jump in fuel costs were filtering into the wider economy. External Monetary Policy Committee member said the case for rate hikes was [...]