Inflation drops for first time in nearly a year, but BoE still on rate hike path September 14, 2022 Inflation in the UK dropped for the first time in nearly a year, but will do little to stop the Bank of England from continuing to hike interest rates, City economists said today. Prices climbed 9.9 per cent over the year to August, down from a 40-year high rate of 10.1 in July, according to [...]
Digital gold or fool’s gold: is crypto really a hedge against equity risk? September 14, 2022 | City Talk Crypto enthusiasts often claim that digital coins and tokens are uncorrelated with equities and can provide a safe haven amid stock market crashes. The assumption is that cryptoassets will act like “digital gold,” serving as a hedge against equity risk and helping investors ride out such downturns. Such bold claims beg for examination, especially amid [...]
London’s FTSE 100 sheds early gains after worrying US inflation numbers September 13, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 shed all its early gains today after a hotter than expected US inflation report sent investors wobbling. The capital’s premier index slumped 1.17 per cent to 7,385.86 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, slid 1.78 per cent to 19,167.21 [...]
Federal Reserve to press on with third 75 basis point hike after inflation overshoot September 13, 2022 The US Federal Reserve is set to hike the world’s most important interest rate by another historic amount to tame sticky inflation, Wall Street warned today. A hotter than expected inflation reading published today prompted a wave of economists to bet on the Fed lifting US borrowing costs 75 basis points for the third time [...]
M&A Roundup: HY 2022 September 13, 2022 | City Talk This year has been challenging on many levels – inflation is impacting economic demand, the cost of living crises carries on, and the war in Ukraine continues. However, in terms of M&A, EMEA is withstanding the headwinds rather well. Per Mergermarket figures, deal count totalled 4,963 compared with 6,182 in H1 2021, a fall of [...]
UK joblessness falls to 1970s low, but pay continues to plummet September 13, 2022 UK joblessness has slid to its lowest level since 1974, but scorching inflation is still wiping out Brits’ pay, official figures published today reveal. The proportion of people out of work dropped to 3.6 per cent in the three months to July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Despite the historic low unemployment [...]
Ex-minister says Kwarteng was right to sack Treasury’s top civil servant September 13, 2022 Kwasi Kwarteng was right to sack the Treasury’s top civil servant and his exit was a “cause for celebration”, according to a former Treasury minister. Former fraud minister Lord Theodore Agnew said the sacked Treasury permanent secretary Tom Scholar was the embodiment of “the malign influence of the Treasury orthodoxy”. Kwarteng has immediately tried to [...]
London’s FTSE 100 bounces despite GDP undershoot September 12, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 bounced today despite new figures revealing the UK economy is much weaker than expected. The capital’s premier index climbed 1.66 per cent to 7,473.03 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, surged 1.7 per cent to 19,513.87 points. Traders shook [...]
UK’s accounting sector on course for record year as firms capitalise on volatility September 12, 2022 The UK’s accounting sector’s turnovers continued to grow over July as the industry bucked trends towards plummeting revenues in the wider services sector. The accounting sector’s turnovers increased 0.69 per cent from June to July, to heights of £3.54bn, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. The growth saw the sector’s revenues [...]
UK and European energy price freezes may trigger blackouts, Goldman warns September 12, 2022 UK and European governments freezing energy prices risks blanketing the Continent in power blackouts, a Wall Street investment bank has warned today. Keeping energy bills artificially low is likely to stimulate energy demand, possibly causing supplies to run dry, Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients. “With interventionist policies announced so far prioritising capping [...]
