Banking watchdog raises customer protection to £120,000 November 18, 2025 The UK banking watchdog has raised the cap for how much a customer can be paid if their provider fails. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has hiked the limit to £120,000 from £85,000 meaning additional customer funds will be protected if their lender collapses. The limits come under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which [...]
ONS: We know we need to do more to improve our data October 21, 2025 After calculation errors thwarted the publication of price indices in the spring, the ONS's James Benford explains how the institute has improved its dataset.
Barclays and Natwest shares jump as conflict sparks inflation fears June 16, 2025 Shares in the FTSE 100’s top banks were rising on Monday as the intensifying conflict in the Middle East triggered inflation fears. Barclays and Natwest were up nearly two per cent and Lloyds over one per cent during early trading as oil prices crept up another one per cent to $74.90 a barrel. This follows [...]
Blackpool Pleasure Beach to close rides as costs spiral March 24, 2025 High inflation, interest rates and “significant increases” in the minimum wage have made turning a profit “harder to achieve”, the owner of Blackpool Pleasure Beach has said as it fell back into the red. The attraction, which dates back to 1896, also said the rising costs will force it to close some rides this year [...]
VR headsets and sliders kick DVDs and turkey out of inflation basket March 18, 2025 VR headsets, yoga mats and sliders have been added to the inflation basket of goods as DVD rentals and minced turkey have been knocked off. The items included in the consumer price inflation (CPI) basket of goods and services, which is compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), are designed to reflect Britons’ typical [...]
Oak Furnitureland battles rising costs as sales cut March 3, 2025 Oak Furnitureland remains in the red as a catalogue of issues impacted its sales during its latest financial year. The Swindon-headquartered retailer has revealed its revenue fell by 17 per cent to £236m in the 12 months to the end of June 2024 because of “a soft market, the Red Sea disruption and the subsequent [...]
UK inflation spikes ahead of Bank of England rates decision December 18, 2024 UK inflation spiked to 2.6 per cent ahead of the Bank of England’s meeting to decide interest rates later this week. Year-on-year inflation matched expectations of 2.6 per cent in November, up from 2.3 per cent in October, data from the Office for National Statistics revealed. Meanwhile, core inflation, which strips out volatile commodities like [...]
We’re (not) lovin’ it: McDonald’s posts first sales drop since 2020 July 29, 2024 Fast-food giant McDonalds posted a global sales drop of one per cent year on year in the three months to the end of June.