Matt Weston: Team GB skeleton star hit in the pocket by Winter Olympics gold February 16, 2026 The road to Olympic gold is paved with sacrifice but for Team GB skeleton star Matt Weston there is another, less common, ingredient: beer. Weston teamed up with Tabby Stoecker to claim the mixed team title on Sunday, his second gold in 48 hours at the Milan Cortina Games after he won the individual crown. [...]
Natwest and Lloyds shares lead FTSE 100 rally after bruising week February 16, 2026 Natwest led a rally across Britain’s banking giants on Monday morning as lenders patched their wounds after a bruising week on the stock market. The bank topped the FTSE 100’s risers at the starting bell, gaining over four per cent in early trading to 603.60p. Barclays was shortly behind, advancing over 2.5 per cent to [...]
Non-cash ISA understanding low despite government push February 16, 2026 UK savers understanding of non-cash ISA products, is lower than its cash counterpart, reflecting the lack of knowledge surrounding options despite the government push to move Brits away from cash. According to the latest analysis from investment platform Robinhood, just under half of investors confirmed having minimal knowledge of how stocks and shares ISAs work, [...]
Employment Rights Act set to stall hiring, says report February 16, 2026 The government’s new package of employment rights will put a brake on hiring, according to a new report, as businesses worry about the possible risks and costs. More than a third (37 per cent) of businesses surveyed by the the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) plan to reduce hiring permanent staff as a [...]
Inflation tipped to fall to year-low in boost to interest rate cuts February 16, 2026 Inflation is tipped to fall back to its lowest level for nearly a year in a busy week for UK economic data, with hopes the drop will help accelerate the Bank of England’s rate-cutting cycle. Economists are expecting the Office for National Statistics to show a sharp reprieve in the Consumer Price Index – the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Zurich and Beazley £8bn deal gets time; Defence and bank stocks rally February 16, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. The first round of 2026 tech wobbles kicked into action last week and revived fears of an AI bubble. When Anthropic released a new AI tool designed to help in-house legal teams triage agreements and draft routine responses, the reaction trickled down through law firms straight into [...]
UK house prices stall in February after record January surge February 16, 2026 The average asking price of a house dipped by just £12 in February, pausing after the largest January jump recorded in Rightmove’s 25-year history. New listings coming to market this month are priced at an average of £368,019, compared with £368,031 in January, according to the property giant. The marginal month-on-month change follows a £9,893 [...]
City chairman: Reports of London’s death have been greatly exaggerated February 16, 2026 Despite many claims to the contrary, what's happening in London today is not stagnation, but renaissance writes Chris Hayward.
Oak Furnitureland pares back losses as firm eyes showroom expansion February 16, 2026 Oak Furnitureland is eyeing further showroom expansion after the retailer improved its profitability. The Swindon-based business is targeting a host of new stores over the course of 2026 following the opening of a new showroom in Coventry in September, and is eyeing a refurbishment of at least half of its existing store estate by the [...]
Bank of England’s Mann says minimum wage rise linked to youth employment February 15, 2026 An increase in minimum pay for younger workers has led to a rise in youth unemployment, according to Bank of England rate-setter Catherine Mann, as new data shows Britain’s jobless rate for young people has climbed above the European average. The unemployment rate for 18 to 24-year-olds stood at 13.7 per cent in the three [...]
