The UK Government bond or ‘gilt’ market is once again under pressure. In recent weeks, yields on long-dated gilts have risen sharply, with the 30-year gilt yield reaching above 5.61% (at the time of writing). That level has not been seen since 1998 and represents a significant increase in borrowing costs for the Government. The …
Price rises have accelerated to 3.5% according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of inflation for April 2025, released on 21 May 2025. This means that, year-on-year, the cost of a range of goods and services is now 3.5% higher than the same period 12 months ago. It is …
Wages are rising strongly while inflation falls to ‘normal’ levels – so where does this leave the Bank of England’s rate decisions? The Bank of England delivered its latest interest rate decision on 8 May, choosing to cut the base rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.25%. Rate setters take into account a number of …
Cuts to interest rates are a key financial news theme in 2024 and we don’t expect that to change in 2025. Many central banks across the world are looking to reduce interest rates as inflation figures slowly return to normal. It is often heralded as great news for mortgage borrowers, but what about investors? Financial …
The Bank of England surprised us this month by holding interest rates at 5.25 per cent, bringing to an end a run of 14 consecutive interest rate hikes. So what does this mean for you and your money? Can we cautiously hope that interest rates have peaked? The Bank of England started hiking rates in …
Silicon Valley Bank, the 16th largest bank in the US, was shut down by the country’s regulators last week, and we’ve now learned that HSBC has moved to buy the UK arm of the collapsed institution. Since the bank specialises in lending to technology companies, the rescue by HSBC will be a huge relief to …
It’s a term we’ve heard a lot recently, so let’s take a close look at what open banking actually is, and how many people know about it. Open banking means allowing third-party financial services providers, such as budgeting apps, to access a person’s banking information, like their payment history and previous transactions. These services have …
The Bank of England’s aim is for the country to have low and stable inflation – and it works to a target of two per cent. Changing interest rates are the Bank of England’s mechanism for achieving its inflation target, and in the current climate of high inflation, it believes raising rates is the right …
As the inflation crisis in the UK has deepened, the Bank of England has been forced to act decisively by hiking interest rates. In December 2021, interest rates stood at 0.1 per cent, but they’ve since been raised five times and now stand at 1.25 per cent. So the question on everyone’s lips right now …
Last month, the UK’s inflation figures for March were released. Having been 6.2% in February, inflation had risen to 7%, the highest rate for 30 years. Across the Atlantic, the figures were even worse, as US inflation reached 8.5% – the highest since March 1981 – as the Ukraine war pushed up energy prices. In …
