UK growth in February smashes low expectations April 11, 2025 The UK economy grew by 0.5 per cent in February, official data has shown, beating forecasters’ expectations by a wide margin. A Bloomberg poll of economists predicted growth to come in at 0.1 per cent for the month. UK GDP grew 0.6 per cent in the three months to February, the Office for National Statistics [...]
Bank of England’s postponement of bond sale is a ‘precaution’ April 10, 2025 The Bank of England’s decision to postpone the sale of long-dated bonds to after June following market volatility was a “precaution”, according to deputy governor Sarah Breeden. President Donald Trump’s tariffs sent markets around the world into a state of panic as 30-year gilt yields surged to its highest level since 1998, pushing up borrowing [...]
Tariffs delay deadline for TikTok sale…again April 10, 2025 TikTok, the beloved video platform that has had Washington in a twist, is back in limbo. What was once just a viral dance platform has now become emblematic – a rope in a high stakes geopolitical tug-of-war. An initial ban over national security concern was introduced, then reversed, and ultimately the app has been treading [...]
Bank of England should be ‘more careful’ about rate cuts, say deputy governor April 10, 2025 A Bank of England rate-setter has said that policymakers need to be “more careful” about cutting rates after years of high inflation, adding that it was “too soon to say” whether President Trump’s tariffs will weigh on price growth in the UK. Sarah Breeden became the second official since Trump’s Rose Garden speech to take [...]
Market crash is yet to come despite tariff pause, says City veteran April 10, 2025 A City veteran has warned that despite an apparent respite from a 90-day pause on US tariffs, markets should prepare for a significant correction in the coming days. “I don’t think its impossible that we walk in tomorrow and the market is off in the US 15 or 20 per cent, honestly I think that’s [...]
Google presses ahead with AI spend as Trump calls for – yet charges – more April 10, 2025 Donald Trump is urging American firms to ramp up their technology spending, particularly on AI, despite his latest wave of tariffs injecting new uncertainty into global supply chains. Google owner Alphabet is answering that call, reaffirming plans to spend $75bn this year on AI, brushing aside investor concerns and trade headwinds. The move, announced at [...]
UK-India trade deal reportedly 90 per cent agreed, businesses told April 10, 2025 The UK’s trade deal with India is reportedly 90 per cent agreed, businesses have been told, according to a report in the Guardian. Firms were informed on a call with trade negotiators this week that some remaining issues included cars, pharmaceutical drugs and the whisky trade, the newspaper reported, with India currently the largest overseas [...]
Starmer says UK government must ‘rise to the moment’ on tariffs April 10, 2025 The UK government needs to “rise to the moment”, Sir Keir Starmer said, adding that he would not “pretend” US President Donald Trump’s tariffs are “good news”. Speaking this morning after Trump announced a 90-day pause in his sweeping global tariffs, while raising his tax rate on Chinese imports to 125 per cent, the Prime [...]
How to make Britain great again April 10, 2025 Rejoin the customs union, poach American academics and unashamedly champion democracy – here’s how Lewis Liu would respond to Trump’s trade war… Fortunes are made in the rise and fall of empires, and it is in this particular moment – as we sadly see the great American empire shaken – that a once-in-a-century opportunity emerges [...]
Trump must decide what tariffs are for – Private equity chief April 9, 2025 President Donald Trump must decide what his sweeping tariffs are for in order to rescue markets from their ongoing collapse, a private equity chief has said. “The markets are in turmoil because they aren’t sure what we’re solving for, because the messages have been quite mixed,” Hamilton Lane co-CEO Erik Hirsch told Morning Wire. Trump [...]