FTSE 100 close: London index muted as Barclays and Lloyds Bank give up early gains April 20, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was muted today as investors ditched mining giants, curbing the sector’s recent rally, while high street banks gave up strong early gains. The capital’s premier index edged 0.01 per cent high to 7,899.48 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more responsive to sentiment toward the UK economy, nipped [...]
‘We need a new rulebook’ because ‘times have completely changed’, Blackrock’s Wei Li says April 20, 2023 The global economy has entered a “new regime” as a series of major changes transform the global economy, Blackrock’s global chief investment strategist said. Speaking at TheCityUK’s international conference, Wei Li said “the times have completely changed and we need a new playbook.” Li suggested the global economy is being affected by a series of [...]
Mark this Earth Day by investing in green finance skills April 20, 2023 This year’s Earth Day on Saturday should serve as an urgent call to action for businesses. As a community, we must rapidly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and help our society adapt to human-caused climate change. If businesses are to deliver on their sustainability strategies and fund essential innovation, they also need access to well-priced [...]
FTSE 100 close: Inflation shock drags London index lower as real estate firms lead losses April 19, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 slipped today as investors took fright at UK inflation topping forecasts to stay in the double digits last month. The capital’s premier index shed 0.13 per cent to drop to 7,898.78 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, fell 0.49 [...]
NDT Broadgate: £40m generated for UK economy by ‘revolutionary’ City of London arts project April 19, 2023 A piece of City of London land offered for free to 8,800 independent artists for twelve months has generated £40m in revenue for the UK economy. The NDT Broadgate initiative ran for twelve months in 2021 and 2022, providing rehearsal spaces, writing rooms, co-working areas, recording booths, studios and workshops to the creative community free [...]
Will inflation ever fall back below 10 per cent? Yes, but we’ve been wrong before April 19, 2023 We find ourselves in the same situation again. UK inflation has topped the City and Bank of England’s expectations, hanging in the double digits in March at 10.1 per cent. The forecast was for it to slip to 9.8 per cent. Families and businesses will be forgiven for worrying whether it will ever fall back [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates to five per cent after inflation tops forecasts to stay in double digits April 19, 2023 UK inflation has smashed expectations to stick in the double digits, in a sign that the cost of living crisis is still gripping families and businesses across the country, prompting markets to bet the Bank of England will hike interest rates to five per cent. The rate of price increases trimmed to 10.1 per cent [...]
AI better than our staff, reckon half of business leaders – so what does that mean for jobs? April 19, 2023 NEARLY half of business leaders reckon AI could replace humans, new data out today shows, but experts think job losses caused by mass adoption of tools such as ChatGPT would be limited. Some 44 per cent of C-suite executives think AI could perform tasks to a similar or better quality than humans, according to a [...]
FTSE 100 close: China economy growth spurt jolts London miners higher April 18, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 bumped upwards again today, boosted by stronger than expected Chinese economic growth boosting sentiment toward the capital’s biggest listed industrial giants. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.38 per cent to 7,909.43 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, was broadly [...]
Insolvencies at ‘jaw dropping’ level as debt industry warns UK economy ‘is not out of the woods yet’ April 18, 2023 More companies in England and Wales entered insolvency during March than at any point since monthly records started three years ago, according to official data that showed a 16 per cent increase on a year ago. The Insolvency Service reported 2,457 corporate insolvencies last month, up from 1,784 in February. The rate of companies falling into insolvency [...]