Business Key US senator lifts block on Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh The Republican senator who had effectively blocked confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve said on Sunday he was dropping his opposition after the Department of Justice ended its investigation of the current central bank chair. 27/04/2026
Economy ECB rate dilemma: Eurozone growth stalls as Iran war fuels inflation The European Central Bank faces heightened uncertainty ahead of next week’s rate decision, with President Christine Lagarde warning the "stop-start nature" of the Iran war is making the economic outlook harder to assess. 24/04/2026
Economy Fed nominee Warsh rejects 'Trump sock puppet' label at Senate hearing Kevin Warsh, the nominee for Chair of the US Federal Reserve, declared he has not pledged to lower interest rates to secure his position despite public calls from US President Donald Trump for immediate monetary easing. 22/04/2026
Economy UK inflation hits 3.3% as Iran war drives energy costs higher British consumer prices rose at a faster pace in March, reaching 3.3% as the ongoing Iran war sent fuel prices soaring. The data has forced markets to reassess expectations for the Bank of England, with a previously anticipated interest rate cut next week now looking very unlikely. 22/04/2026
Business Is Portugal heading into a mortgage crisis? Benchmark interbank rates have been rising, and this is beginning to impact mortgage repayments at a time when there is a record number of such loans in Portugal. 01/04/2026
Economy Eurozone inflation jumps to 2.5% amid Iran war: Will ECB hike rates? Consumer prices jumped at their fastest monthly pace since October 2022, driven almost entirely by the energy shock from the Iran conflict. Economists are split on whether Frankfurt will pull the trigger. 31/03/2026
Economy Is Europe sleepwalking into its worst gas crisis since 2022? European gas prices have surged 70% and storage is running low. Supply disruptions, rising inflation and the prospect of ECB tightening are raising fears of a repeat of the 2022 energy crisis. 27/03/2026
Economy Iran war energy shock puts ECB on alert — Lagarde vows timely response The Iran war has sent oil and gas prices surging and rate hike bets rising, but ECB chief Christine Lagarde says the eurozone is far better placed to absorb the shock than it was when Russia invaded Ukraine. 25/03/2026
Economy ECB keeps rates steady as rising energy prices fuel inflation concerns The European Central Bank (ECB) kept its key policy rates on hold on Thursday, as fresh spikes in oil and gas prices threaten to derail recent progress in reducing inflation. 19/03/2026
Economy Bank of England holds rate at 3.75% amid Iran war inflation fears The Bank of England has held its main interest rate at 3.75% in the wake of rising oil and gas prices following the start of the Iran war. 19/03/2026
Economy Fed projects one rate cut, sees limited Iran war impact Federal Reserve officials say the war in Iran is likely to push up inflation this year, while having little impact on economic growth. 18/03/2026
Economy Federal Reserve not likely to cut rates as Iran war stokes inflation The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady and may signal it will not cut rates at all this year as the Iran war complicates the central bank's inflation outlook. 18/03/2026
Business Cooling UK inflation fuels expectations of March interest rate cut Lower food and gas prices push inflation down to 3%, increasing expectations of a Bank of England rate cut in March. 18/02/2026
Economy ECB rates unchanged, Lagarde: 'Inflation is in a good place' The ECB kept rates unchanged as inflation fell to 1.7%. Christine Lagarde said policy is “in a good place”, downplaying the undershoot as temporary, while stressing data dependence, balanced risks and the need for EU reforms to support growth. 05/02/2026
Economy BoE holds rates at 3.75% as inflation stays stubbornly above target The Bank of England held rates at 3.75%, with inflation still above the 2% target and early-2026 data hinting the economy has started the year stronger than expected — complicating the case for near-term cuts. 05/02/2026
Economy ECB holds rates as inflation cools and economy stays resilient The ECB held rates as eurozone inflation fell to 1.7% in January, its lowest since September 2024 and below the ECB’s 2% target. Core inflation eased to 2.2% as energy prices plunged. 05/02/2026