Business

A tumultuous week in the markets ended on an uncertain note – suggesting fears remain after large losses from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. The FTSE 100 (Financial Times Stock Exchange) index of the most valued companies on the London Stock Exchange started the day at around the 7,500 mark – better than all

More than 1,000 Passport Office staff across the UK will strike for five weeks in an escalation of a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working at passport offices in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newport, Peterborough and Southport will walk out from 3 April to 5 May.

Security guards at Heathrow Airport are to strike over Easter in a dispute over pay, with passengers warned they face “severe delays”. The Unite union said flights using Heathrow Airport will “experience severe delays and disruption this Easter” as the workers stage a 10-day walkout. More than 1,400 security guards employed by Heathrow Airports Ltd

The European Central Bank (ECB) has maintained its fight against inflation and imposed a large set of interest rate hikes despite financial market turmoil. Bank balance sheets have suffered because of the effect of interest rate increases, which have contributed to recent crises at Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse. But the central bank –

Credit Suisse has said it will borrow up to 50bn Swiss francs (£44.5bn) from the Swiss central bank to shore up its liquidity. The bank said it was “taking decisive action to pre-emptively strengthen its liquidity”, after a drop in its shares intensified fears of a global financial crisis. “This additional liquidity would support Credit

Banking stocks are enduring fresh, steep losses on Wednesday as concern over the health of US banks crosses the Atlantic. Credit Suisse shares plunged to new record lows – dropping by almost a third at one stage – following comments by its largest investor that it could not provide the Swiss bank with more financial

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

British tech firms face a “serious risk” over the collapse of the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank, the chancellor has warned, but said the government was “working at pace” to limit the damage. Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, Jeremy Hunt said the government and the Bank of England were “absolutely

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

A new clearing bank which launched just two years ago is among the suitors this weekend weighing bids to salvage the British arm of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Sky News has learnt that The Bank of London (TBOL), which recently raised funds at a valuation of over $1bn, is considering making an offer for SVB

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

Hundreds of thousands of mortgage holders could face payment difficulties by the end of June next year, according to analysis by the Financial Conduct Authority. The regulator has said that, in addition to the households already behind on payments, 356,000 mortgage borrowers could face payment difficulties by the end of June 2024. People in this

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 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

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ union (RMT) is putting a “new and improved” pay offer from Network Rail to a members vote. Following the new offer the union announced on Tuesday evening it was suspending strikes that were due to take place from 2am on 16 March until 1.59am on 17 March. Union members