U.K. Public Finances Likely to Come Under Pressure Given Middle East War -- Market Talk
Dow Jones03-20 17:18
0918 GMT - U.K. public finances are expected to come under strain due to effects of the Middle East war, Quilter's Lindsay James says in a note. The latest public finances data show borrowing in February was 14.3 billion pounds ($19.2 billion), higher than the consensus forecast by economists in a Wall Street Journal poll for borrowing of 9.3 billion pounds. High energy costs due to the U.S.-Iran conflict raise the risk of elevated inflation which add to inflation-linked government expenses, James says. "With U.K. growth already challenged, such a scenario of higher inflation and weaker growth playing out would be a really bad place to be given the level of inflation-linked costs." (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 05:18 ET (09:18 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
At the request of the copyright holder, you need to log in to view this content
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.
