Investment slump amid higher interest rates risks finally sparking UK recession June 6, 2023 A mix of factors are buffeting the UK economy right now. Spending power is being crushed by high inflation eroding family finances. House prices are coming off their heady heights as sellers drop prices to source buyers amid higher mortgage rates. External demand is thinning in response to weak consumer confidence amid a global cost [...]
FTSE 100 close: US recession jitters outweigh oil price surge on London index June 5, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 lost momentum in the afternoon session today after new data revealed the US economy is wilting under the weight of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes. The capital’s premier index slipped 0.1 per cent to 7,600 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of [...]
Families splashing cash despite high inflation and interest rates fuels services growth June 5, 2023 Families splashing the cash despite high inflation and interest rates crimping their budgets is keeping Britain’s services economy motoring along, a closely watched survey out today shows. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) final purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the services sector, which generates about £2 in every £3 in [...]
British businesses mull ‘onshoring’ supply chains in response to soaring costs June 5, 2023 Snags in international supply chains lingering on from the Covid-19 pandemic are steering mid-sized businesses toward bringing their production lines back to the UK, a new survey out last night showed. Research by consultancy BDO found just under 50 per cent of the 500 firms they surveyed are considering “onshoring” as much of their operations [...]
London seals European finance investment crown every year since Brexit June 5, 2023 London is beating away the dire warnings that Brexit would knock it off its perch as Europe’s top finance hive and is even drawing in more investors amid high inflation and interest rates, a new report out today unveils. Foreign investors pumped cash into 46 financial services projects in the capital last year, up from [...]
Exclusive: Rishi Sunak plans shake-up of worker ownership schemes June 4, 2023 Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt are drawing up plans to revamp schemes designed to hand workers a stake in their employers, City PM can reveal. The Treasury will today ask businesses for their view on the effectiveness of government-sponsored programmes that steer staff toward taking stakes in their employer by offering financial incentives. The Prime [...]
‘Can’t come soon enough’: Will Sunak follow through on 2p tax cut reports? June 4, 2023 Rishi Sunak’s mooted plans to reduce the tax burden from a seven-decade high with a 2p cut in income tax ahead of the next election have been welcomed by Tory campaigners. Reports surfaced in the Sunday Telegraph that the PM – an ex-City banker – is keen to cut charges in order to incentivise work [...]
House prices to stutter after Bank of England interest rate hikes June 4, 2023 House price growth is poised to stutter, new figures out this week are expected to show, as prospective homeowners are gradually priced out of the market by the Bank of England’s successive interest rate rises.
Pound records strong week as London markets expects Bank to hike rates further June 2, 2023 The pound has recorded its strongest week against the dollar in half a year as investors expect the Bank of England to keep hiking rates after the Fed has paused. Across the week, the pound gained more than 1.5 per cent against the dollar to trade at over $1.2530 on Friday afternoon. The pound performed [...]
Cost of insurance against UK debt default has more than doubled over last year June 2, 2023 The cost of insuring the UK’s debt against default has more than doubled in the past year, as rising rates, increased borrowing and a deteriorating economic environment spooked investors. According to exclusive data from reinsurance firm Chaucer, the cost of a credit default swap (CDS) on the UK’s debt has increased 131 per cent. A [...]
