Borrowing costs soar to post-financial crisis high in blow to Reeves March 20, 2026 UK government borrowing costs have soared to their highest level since the Great Financial Crisis in 2008, with markets frightened by the state of public finances in the face of another global price shock. Gilt yields have inched up over the course of the week, with the ten-year gilt yield topping 4.9 per cent on [...]
Reeves hit by spike in government borrowing March 20, 2026 UK government borrowing rose by more than expected in February, it has been revealed, adding a strain on public finances as Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces trouble ahead with deciding the government’s response to the war in Iran. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said that the government borrowed £14bn, with economists having predicted the [...]
Wetherspoon shares tumble as profit disappoints March 20, 2026 Shares in the country’s best-known pub chain have tumbled after profit failed to meet expectations even after they were downgraded. Pre-tax profit at JD Wetherspoon fell by 32 per cent to £22m for the first half of this year, and operating profit fell 18 per cent to £53m, below analyst expectations of an eight per [...]
Bank of England’s Bailey: Interest rate cuts not on the horizon March 19, 2026 The Bank of England’s Andrew Bailey has ruled out the prospect of any interest rate cuts in the near future, warning that the sustained conflict in the Middle East constitutes a major shock to energy supply that could leave long-term scars on the British economy. In an interview with LBC set to air on Thursday [...]
Borrowing costs surge as market bets on future Bank of England rate hikes March 19, 2026 The government’s short-term borrowing costs climbed to their highest level in more than a year on Wednesday, after the Bank of England announced a unanimous decision to hold its central interest rate. Traders aggressively pared back bets of future rate cuts on the news that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East led all nine [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates in unanimous decision March 19, 2026 Interest rates have been held as policymakers at the Bank of England warned the war in Iran could send prices spiralling as soon as April. Members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) left interest rates unchanged at 3.75 per cent, with guidance to cutting rates in upcoming meetings now being dropped altogether. Several policymakers, including [...]
TITAN Group: Full Year Results 2025 March 19, 2026 Very strong performance delivers another record year
UK job market weakens as economy set to worsen March 19, 2026 The jobs market failed to provide more positive signs for the UK economy as official data suggested that fewer postings were available for job seekers. An estimate published on Thursday showed that the number of payrolled employees dropped by 49,000 in February while data showed a small rise in January. The Office for National Statistics [...]
Greene King to put 150 pubs on chopping block March 18, 2026 Pubs giant Greene King is considering selling 150 of its pubs and offloading dozens more to franchisees, as its managing director quits. The pub operator, which has 2,500 premises in the UK, has said it will put around 300 of its managed pubs into a separate unit – with 150 of these intended for sale [...]
Shepherd Neame braces for energy price shock as Iran war drives up costs March 18, 2026 Shepherd Neame has become the latest pub company to express concern over the spectre of rising energy costs after the war in Iran sent the price of oil soaring. The Kent-based brewer, pub and hotel group, which is listed on the Aquis stock exchange, said its energy was “heavily hedged” into the next financial year [...]