FTSE 100 close: London index slips despite Shell rising after posting £7.6bn profit May 4, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 tumbled today despite investors piling into Shell after it launched a fresh buyback funded from its huge first quarter profits. The capital’s premier index fell 1.04 per cent to 7,707.52 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, dropped 0.62 per [...]
Inflation reignites in UK as economy powers further away from feared recession May 4, 2023 Inflation has reignited in the UK, pushed higher by the economy roaring back and emboldening businesses to pass on higher costs to customers via rising prices, a closely watched survey out today unveils. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (PMI) for the country’s services sector climbed sharply to 55.9 points last [...]
Federal Reserve bumps interest rates 25 basis points higher in what may be its final hike May 3, 2023 The US Federal Reserve today hiked interest rates for the tenth time in a row in what could be its final move.
FTSE 100 close: London index claws back losses ahead of US Federal Reserve interest rate decision May 3, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 regained ground this today after nursing sharp losses yesterday driven by fears over the global banking system flaring up again. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.2 per cent to 7,788.38 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed 0.27 per [...]
Stephen King interview: Inflation is ‘profoundly undemocratic’ and must be stopped May 3, 2023 What kind of world do we live in today? From an economists’ view, one that’s a lot different from just a handful of years ago. War in Europe. Strained global trade. Government debt stocks at multi decade highs (certainly in the UK). All fixtures of our present day lives. But there’s two things that have [...]
FTSE 100 close: Wall Street sea of red offsets HSBC and Persimmon gains in London May 2, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged deep into the red in the final hours of trading today after Wall Street was pushed lower by investors sweating over more possible banking collapses. The capital’s premier index initially climbed in the morning before eventually closing 1.23 per cent lower at 7,774.12 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 [...]
Eurozone core inflation falls, opening door to smaller ECB interest rate hike May 2, 2023 Inflation is receding faster than expected in Europe, raising the prospect of the bloc’s central bank slowing the pace of its interest rates hike this week, new figures out today reveal. The rate of underlying price increases – known as core inflation – in the group of 20 countries using the euro thinned to 5.6 [...]
UK factories shed workers as higher costs and weaker spending pound finances May 2, 2023 British factories are shedding workers after being pounded by soaring costs and weaker spending from customers, according to a closely-watched survey. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) final purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the UK manufacturing sector came in at 47.8 points last month, above an earlier reading of 46.6 [...]
Take your seat for the Bank of England, Federal Reserve and central banks’ final act May 2, 2023 This is the final act in central banks’ aggressive interest rate hike cycle. Well, so say most analysts at the moment.
Recession knife-edge: Consumer spending on credit at £1.3bn as house prices continue to slide May 2, 2023 Britain’s better than expected economic performance since the turn of the year is poised to have lured consumers into splashing the cash on their credit cards, new numbers out this week are tipped to show. Families are tipped by markets to have borrowed £1.3bn in March, which would signal spending in the UK is holding [...]