Insurance plays a quiet but essential role in everyday life. From protecting homes and vehicles to supporting healthcare access and small businesses, insurance decisions often sit in the background until they suddenly become important.

European stocks have slipped further this morning weighing on the Euro currency as concerns around U.S threats to seize Greenland grew.

The holiday period in both the UK and the US is now behind us, and with it we are seeing liquidity return to the markets, and a gradual shift back toward more normal trading conditions.

Bank of Japan decided to lift interest levels from 0.5% to 0.75%, its highest level since back in 1995. Members from BoJ stated that it is likely to continue raising interest rates if their forecasting is materialising.

All eyes today will firmly be on The Bank of England interest rate decision at midday, with a 25 basis-point cut all but guaranteed. The key factor after this will be the member vote split, and any potential forward guidance for future rate cuts.

UK inflation for November has fallen more than expected this morning, providing some much-needed relief for both consumers and households.

UK unemployment rose as expected in October to 5.1%, up from 5%. The unemployment level is now at its highest point since January of 2021, in the peak of the pandemic. Average earnings noticed a slowdown deteriorating from 4.7% to 4.6% and included bonuses a fall from 4.9% to 4.7%.

UK economy growth (GDP) decreased in October. Forecasting suggested an uplift of 0.1%, in reality we saw it shrink by -0.1%. The disappointing figures month-on-month was likely a held back of anticipation leading up to the Autumn budget.