Some 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images NewsThe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has helped low-income Americans buy groceries for decades with few disruptions.

This Market Notice confirms that the previously announced increase to the minimum spread over Bank Rate on bids against Level A collateral in the Indexed Long-Term Repo (ILTR) operation will take effect from 17 November 2025.

As the government shutdown drags on, official economic data has slowed to a crawl, leaving policymakers, markets, and citizens increasingly reliant on private-sector numbers. That’s a problem.
If the 2008 financial crisis proved anything, it’s that economic stability is not a given but a fragile construct – one that can collapse at warp speed when trust, transparency, and accountability erode.

Reality has a way of reminding us if we forget.

American households have become dependent on Amazon.

The numbers say it all: In 2024, 83% of U.S. households received deliveries from Amazon, representing over 1 million packages delivered each day and 9 billion individual items delivered same-day or next-day every year. In remarkably short order, the company has transformed from an online bookseller into a juggernaut that has reshaped retailing. But its impact isn’t limited to how we shop.