UK inflation drops for third straight month in sign Bank of England is nearing end of interest rate hikes February 15, 2023 Inflation in the UK is falling faster than experts expected which may convince the Bank of England to consider ending its aggressive campaign to tame prices with interest rate rises, official figures out today reveal. The rate of price increases in Britain dropped to 10.1 per cent last month, down from 10.5 per cent in [...]
Neil Bennett Notebook: A tale of two striking cities February 15, 2023 Neil Bennett’s notebook on two very different types of strike in London versus Paris
FTSE 100 close: London index nears 8,000 point mark for first time despite UK economy toying with recession February 14, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 nearly hit the 8,000 point mark for the first time ever yesterday despite the UK economy toying with a recession. The capital’s premier index climbed for most of the day, before running of steam during the afternoon trading session, dragged down by a hotter than expected US inflation report showing prices rose [...]
US inflation eases for seventh straight month but pace of decline loses momentum in headache for Fed February 14, 2023 US inflation eased for the seventh month in a row in January, but the pace of decline is beginning to level off, official figures out today reveal. The pace of price increases in the world’s largest economy on an annual basis fell to 6.4 per cent, down from 6.5 per cent, according to the US [...]
Inflation erodes UK real pay rapidly despite record wage increases as 137,000 Brits return to workforce February 14, 2023 UK take home pay is falling at one of the fastest paces since records began over two decades ago despite wage growth racing ahead at the quickest rate outside the pandemic, official figures out today reveal. Real pay fell 4.3 per cent over the three months to December last year when using the consumer price [...]
The £200bn Covid savings war chest that could prevent a UK recession February 14, 2023 There’s a war chest of nearly £200bn – which started to be built up during the pandemic and has grown ever since – that could save the UK from recession. This may come as a surprise when all we hear from Westminster is how skint we are, but the stash of cash isn’t made up [...]
Ireland to keep European economy out of a recession as Britain gets left behind February 13, 2023 Europe is poised to swerve a recession this year in a massive U-turn from warnings of blackouts sweeping across the bloc, with GDP powered by Ireland, new forecasts out today claim. Growth in the European Union (EU) will hit 0.8 per cent this year, an upgrade from the just 0.3 per cent forecast last autumn, [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index bumps higher ahead of key inflation and wage numbers February 13, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 kicked off the week in busy fashion today ahead of a busy week of data that will provide more clues on the health of the UK economy. The capital’s premier index closed 0.83 per cent higher today at 7,947.60 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with [...]
Hunt must tackle worker shortage hobbling London’s economy, business groups warn February 13, 2023 London’s economy is being hamstrung by a chronic worker shortage that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt needs to tackle at the 15 March budget, a new report from Britain’s biggest business lobby groups highlighted today. Nearly two in three of the capital’s firms are struggling to fill vacancies, according to research carried out by BusinessLDN, Federation of [...]
Brexit delivered £1,000 blow to every UK household, Bank of England rate setter Haskel claims February 13, 2023 The sharp reduction in business investment after Brexit has dealt a £1,000 blow to every UK household, a rate setter at the Bank of England has claimed. Speaking to The Overshoot, Jonathan Haskel, an external member of the monetary policy committee (MPC), said that the “productivity penalty” caused by a huge drop in capital spending [...]