At the close: FTSE 100 gives up its gains after Bank of England puts rate rise on hold until August July 14, 2016 The Bank of England dashed market hopes of a further rate cut for at least another month today, sending the FTSE 100 off its 11-month highs. Having rallied to a peak of 6,743.42 before the Bank of England's decision, the FTSE 100 crashed to earth, closing down 0.2 per cent at 6,654.47 points. Most analysts thought the Bank would [...]
Saving no longer as easy as 1, 2, 3: Santander chops interest rate on top account – and now Lloyds is considering a rate change too August 15, 2016 Santander has today confirmed it is slashing interest rates on its popular 1,2,3 account to 1.5 per cent, while Lloyds has revealed it is mulling its options. Santander's change in rate will be effective from 1 November, and it is also making some changes to the overdraft rates. In a statement issued this morning, the bank [...]
Australia’s securities watchdog seeks civil penalties from National Australia Bank over benchmark rigging allegations June 7, 2016 National Australia Bank (NAB) found itself in the firing line today, after Australia's securities watchdog announced it would be pursuing civil penalties for alleged benchmark rigging. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has launched legal proceedings in the Federal Court in Melbourne, claiming that NAB was involved in manipulating the bank bill swap reference rate (BBSW) between 8 June 2010 [...]
RBS share price down on £2bn loss and Brexit warnings August 5, 2016 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has reported a whopping £2bn loss for the first six months of the year, as it continues to pay the price for wrongdoing during the financial crisis. The bank also warned investors that, given the result of the EU referendum, it was unlikely to hit its medium-term targets and [...]
UK slides down world ranking of banks, with only HSBC within the top 10 for core capital June 29, 2016 The gloss has come off the UK's banking sector a little bit today, as research revealed that the country's banks had performed poorly compared with their overseas counterparts. The UK ranked only seventh in a league table compiled by trade magazine The Banker of countries by total pre-tax profits, after banks' combined profits dipped by [...]
UK bank shares climb following Fed hike speculation May 19, 2016 Bulls piled into UK banks this morning as the Remain camp took a boost in the polls and the US Federal Reserve signalled it could hike interest rates next month. Equites across the board tumbled – a standard reaction to signals of tighter monetary policy – sending the FTSE 100 down by 1.5 per cent [...]
Retail investors snap up shares in bumper week for trading platforms amid Brexit volatility July 1, 2016 Last week's referendum sparked waves of volatility on the financial markets, triggering interventions from the Bank of England and causing trading to be suspended on a handful of the UK's biggest companies. Banking shares were butchered. Housebuilders were demolished. But, the FTSE 100 now stands at a 10-month high after it became clear some of the big [...]
War bunkers, pizza and lots of caffeine – how the City is preparing for referendum night June 23, 2016 Brexit "war bunkers" are being opened, extra staff brought in and sleep-deprived workers plied with pizzas, sweets and coffee to keep them going throughout the night as the City beds in for expected high levels of pre- and post-referendum trading. Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Societe Generale, Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland and JP Morgan will all have heightened [...]
An old Irish lady found one of the last £50k Jane Austen fivers and donated it to charity February 20, 2017 There's still a £5 engraved with a tiny portrait of Jane Austen floating around – after the last one was discovered and donated to charity. Back in December artist Graham Short declared he had engraved four of the Bank of England's new fivers with a tiny, 5mm, picture of the author, plus a quote from her [...]
Banking bazooka? CMA report great for fintech, costly for banks August 9, 2016 The competition watchdog has today handed fintech startups a bazooka for their mission of disrupting banks, with new rules for making data more open to improve customer choice. The so-called big four – HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland – and other smaller high street banks will have to work together to create standards for sharing [...]