Rishi Sunak admits Brits face ‘challenging and uncertain’ times after Spring Budget March 24, 2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said the country is facing “challenging and uncertain” times after official forecasters predicted the biggest fall in living standards on record. Following his spring statement on Wednesday, the Chancellor insisted the Government was “on the side of hard-working families”. But Labour said that he had done nothing to tackle the cost-of-living [...]
Fresh 30-year high inflation print wobbles London investors March 23, 2022 A fresh 30-year high UK inflation print wobbled London’s top indexes today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dipped 0.22 per cent to 7,460.63 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, fell 0.53 per cent to 21,001.62 points. Fresh data released today by [...]
UK households to be saddled with heaviest tax burden since 1940s March 23, 2022 UK households are set to be saddled with the heaviest tax burden since the 1940s even when Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s income tax cut and national insurance tweaks are baked in. Britain’s fiscal watchdog is forecasting the tax burden to hit 36.3 per cent in four years’ time, it said in fresh forecasts published today. The [...]
Spring statement: OBR slashes economic growth forecasts on Russia-Ukraine war inflation spike March 23, 2022 The UK’s fiscal watchdog has slashed its forecasts for economic growth this year driven by the Russia-Ukraine war sending inflation spiking. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is expecting the UK economy to grow 3.8 per cent this year, down from six per cent in its previous forecast. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send [...]
As it happened: Rishi Sunak’s Spring Budget 2022 March 23, 2022 Live updates and links to all our coverage, reactions and analyses as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivers the government’s Spring Budget for 2022 . Please do get in touch and let us know your opinion via [email protected] or @Cityam With the cost of living crisis, rising inflation, war in Ukraine and [...]
African M&A: Technology helping to renew optimism March 23, 2022 | City Talk How has African M&A fared during the pandemic? What might the market expect in the coming year? What impact is technology having on the industry? One thing that is clear from discussion at our recent webinar is that, despite a sluggish period on the continent, there is renewed optimism for the future. Resurgence in M&A Africa has [...]
Rishi Sunak’s Spring statement today: From fuel duty cuts to tax and energy bills March 23, 2022 The time has come for the Chancellor to unveil his spring statement, with the spotlight on how he intends to deal with the cost of living crisis. Rishi Sunak is set to vow to “stand by” British families as he is expected to outline further plans to support households facing financial hardship on Wednesday, which [...]
Will the world economy avoid an inflationary bust? March 23, 2022 | City Talk Today’s high inflation is being compared to the 1970s. However, robust consumer spending, fuelled by pandemic savings, makes for a different set of circumstances. Memories of the 1970s were evoked as the price of Brent crude oil temporarily climbed above $139 a barrel in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That was a period [...]
What’s behind market volatility in China? March 23, 2022 | City Talk It’s been a rollercoaster week for Chinese stock markets. We explain why and get the views of Schroders’ experts Robin Parbrook, Maggie Zheng and David Rees. In the last week, equity markets in mainland China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have experienced a rout, and a subsequent rally in the past two days. At [...]
UK inflation climbs to more than triple Bank of England’s target March 23, 2022 UK inflation has soared to more than triple the Bank of England’s target, piling more pressure on the central bank to launch further rate hikes. Threadneedle Street is likely to pivot away from the dovish tone it set at its meeting last week after new figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) [...]