Business

The FTSE 100 and other major European stock markets have taken a beating as concern over the health of US banks crosses the Atlantic. London’s blue chip index lost £75bn in combined market value by the close after suffering its deepest fall, on a points basis, since the early days of the COVID crisis. Sentiment

The chancellor has announced the budget for 2023. The UK will now not enter a technical recession this year, the independent forecasters, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has said. Inflation will more than halve and reduce to 2.9% by the end of the year, the OBR expects. Budget live:The announcements as they happen Here

Tempting as it is to believe that the chaos with Silicon Valley Bank and its British arm are of interest only to members of the tech community and financial nerds, it has already had a very real bearing on all our lives. For evidence, look no further than the money markets, where investors bet on

A total of 220,000 working days were lost to strike action in January, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. In the first month of this year, strike action was taken by teachers, rail workers, driving examiners, bus drivers and NHS staff. The number is down on the 822,000 days lost to strikes

Rishi Sunak has said Jeremy Hunt will still be chancellor at the next election after criticism his number two did not have enough economic vision. The prime minister, for the first time, confirmed to Sky News that Mr Hunt will remain chancellor when the next general election comes around in January 2025. “Of course,” Mr

HSBC has bought the embattled UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB UK), securing the deposits of more than 3,000 customers worth £6.7bn. Confirming a story broken on Monday by Sky’s City editor Mark Kleinman, the Bank of England, which had been preparing to bring the bank into an insolvency process, said all depositors’ money

HSBC Holdings has emerged as a potential ‘white knight’ bidder for Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) UK as the government and regulators seek to avert the lender’s insolvency. Sky News has learnt that HSBC was on Sunday night exploring a bid for the British arm of the stricken technology-focused lender, joining a slew of smaller rivals

The government is “working to recognise the anxiety” of businesses caught up in the collapse of the the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank, the prime minister has said. Speaking to reporters during an official trip to the US, Rishi Sunak said the government has been “working through over the weekend” to respond to the

The collapse of the UK branch of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is being mitigated by the Treasury and Bank of England, according to the Treasury. US regulators shut down the country’s 16th largest bank, in the biggest collapse of a financial institution since the 2008 financial crisis. SVB had failed after depositors – mostly technology

Thames Water is facing crunch talks over its finances amid mounting concerns about its ability to service a debt mountain which stands at more than £14bn. Sky News has learnt that Thames Water, which is privately owned and employs about 7,000 people, has in the last few weeks hired Rothschild, the investment bank, and the

The UK arm of Grant Thornton, the accountancy and professional services provider, is drawing up plans to invest millions of pounds in its Indian sister firm. Sky News understands that the top ten auditor has asked its more than 200 UK partners to vote on the proposal later this month. One source said the deal

The economy rebounded to grow by 0.3% in January, according to official figures which reaffirmed that the UK avoided recession at the end of last year. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a recovery for output last month after the bigger than expected contraction of 0.5% witnessed in December, which went unrevised in the

The government has announced the construction of sections of HS2 will be delayed by two years to save money. The high-speed railway was initially set to link London and the West Midlands with a further phase extending to cities in the North. However, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said on Thursday: “We have seen significant inflationary

The biggest producer of oil and gas in the North Sea has reported that the government’s energy profits levy (EPL) has “all but wiped out our profit for the year”. Harbour Energy said it had “reduced our UK investment and staffing levels” and bolstered its aim to expand elsewhere as a result of the hit

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ union (RMT) has said planned strike dates on 14 train operators will go ahead, but they insist they are open to discussions with bosses. The union said the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), representing 14 train operators, invited them to discussions to settle its ongoing dispute, but on the condition

BMW, the German car manufacturer, is applying the finishing touches to plans to invest hundreds of millions of pounds into its Oxford plant, securing future production of the iconic Mini in Britain. Sky News has learnt that BMW hopes to announce its decision later in the spring, with one industry insider saying on Wednesday that

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ union has suspended all industrial action against Network Rail following a new pay offer. Strike action was due to take place from 2am on 16 March until 01.59am on 17 March. A ban on accepting overtime – which can be disruptive for maintenance works – had been due to

The head of the manufacturing sector’s lobby group has demanded a “reset” in the UK’s relationship with the European Union, claiming international suppliers have increasingly turned their backs on the country. Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK, told the organisation’s annual conference that political turmoil in the UK had exacerbated supply chain strains caused

The director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Tony Danker has stepped aside from the role while the business lobby group investigates allegations relating to his workplace conduct. The body said he had requested to leave the role while a number of allegations were examined. They came to light after a previous allegation

Grant Shapps is facing fresh calls to overhaul the energy regulator’s powers amid growing fears for hospitality businesses’ ability to withstand soaring power costs. Sky News has seen a letter from Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, to the energy secretary in which she demands that Ofgem be allowed to tackle suppliers’ handling of