Good morning and welcome to your Morning Briefing for Wednesday 19 November 2025. To get this in your inbox every morning click here.
UK inflation drops to 3.6% ahead of Reeves’s crunch Budget
UK inflation fell to 3.6% in October, giving chancellor Rachel Reeves a timely boost as she prepares to deliver her Budget on 26 November.
The ONS data marks the first fall in inflation in five months, cooling from the 3.8% reading seen across July, August and September. Despite the drop, the UK still has the highest inflation rate in the G7.
Reeves said the fall was welcome but added she was “determined to do more to bring prices down”, pledging to use the Budget to cut NHS waiting lists, reduce national debt and ease the cost of living.
ESG decline a ‘sad story’: Schroders
The declining appetite for sustainable investing is a “sad story”, Schroders have claimed.
Schroders latest Financial Adviser survey revealed the continued fall in popularity of ESG among advised investors – a trend that has been apparent particularly over the past three years.
Of the 221 advisers surveyed, the majority (86%) said that less than a quarter of their client base explicitly specify that their investments should reflect ESG factors in some way.
NextWealth launches AI directory for advisers
NextWealth has launched a new AI Directory aimed at helping financial advice professionals identify, compare and select AI tools suited to their business needs.
The directory is designed to tackle growing adviser frustration around knowing where to start, which tools to trust and how to evaluate technical and commercial suitability.
NextWealth’s upcoming Adviser Tech Stack report, due in December, shows 55% of advisers are likely to change their AI tools in the next 12 months.
Quote Of The Day
Growth can’t ignore the trade war and inflation can’t ignore gravity
–George Lagarias, Chief Economist at Forvis Mazars comments, comments on this morning’s inflation figures
Health and life insurer The Exeter has released new research showing that millions of UK adults are at risk of financial hardship in the event of a loss of income. Key findings:
47%
of UK adults have less than £5,000 saved for an income emergency.
54%
of adults aged 45–54 have under £2,500 in savings.
14%
of UK adults have no savings at all.
Most financially vulnerable age group:
Adults aged 45–54 are most at risk:
54%
have less than £2,500 saved
21%
have nothing to fall back on – the highest of any age group
Savings comparison by age:
Adults aged 25–34 have average savings of £14,123
Adults aged 45–54 hold average savings of £7,961
Source:The Exeter
In Other News
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) has welcomed the Prudential Regulation Authority’s decision to increase the deposit protection limit from £85,000 to £120,000 from 1 December 2025.
The change, last updated in 2017, reflects inflation and gives savers greater certainty that more of their money is protected, helping to strengthen trust in the UK financial system.
From December, if a UK-authorised bank, building society or credit union fails, FSCS will protect eligible deposits up to £120,000 per person, per firm, with most customers receiving their money back within seven days.
The limit for temporary high balances, such as proceeds from a home sale, will also rise to £1.4m and be protected for up to six months.
FSCS is also introducing a refreshed ‘FSCS Protected’ badge to help consumers identify protected institutions. Research shows most people prefer a provider displaying the badge.
Parmenion has partnered with Mabel Insights to give advisers access to a suite of portfolio comparison and analysis tools.
Mabel’s free-to-use service enables advisers to compare model portfolios and multi-asset funds across the market, with data on performance, asset allocation and risk metrics. The tools aim to save time, improve reporting and enhance client service.
Mike Morrow, Parmenion Chief Commercial Officer, said the partnership will help advisers make informed decisions and deliver better client outcomes. He added that advisers are already finding Mabel’s tools effective.
Mabel Insights Director Martin Coyle said more than 3,000 adviser firms now use Mabel to access data from 89 DFMs, helping bring clarity and transparency to the MPS market.
Fall in UK inflation looks like turning point that heralds interest rate cut (The Guardian)
HSBC CEO sees fragmented world with more strategic assets (Bloomberg)
The American exceptionalism trade is wobbling (Financial Times)
Did You See?
There’s a lot of rubbish being posted online about AI in advice right now. Recent Money Marketing articles make oblique references to ‘best of breed’ AI software and ‘integrated systems’, writes Dan Wiltshire, an independent financial planner at Wiltshire Wealth.
Some are prophesising an impending divide between the progressive technologists in our profession (them) and those of us who are still figuring it out.
I read these proclamations with a mixture of interest and concern. Will my little advice business be wiped out by a wave of PE-funded AI innovation? I scour the financial press for detail; what exactly is this doomsday machine they speak of?
The reality is rather disappointing. Scratch beneath the surface and even the most vocal futurists will sheepishly admit that, in practice, their AI integration currently amounts to little more than a notetaking widget on Zoom. Helpful, but hardly a game changer.
Read the full article here.
