Analysis: Bank of England averts market spiral, but pressure remains October 6, 2022 Hat tip to Mel Stride, Tory MP and chief of the treasury committee, for asking the Bank of England to explain why they launched an emergency support package for the UK debt market last week. If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t know there was a “self-reinforcing spiral” – how deputy governor at the Bank Jon Cunliffe [...]
Mini budget market turmoil partly triggered BoE emergency intervention, dep governor says October 6, 2022 Market volatility that followed chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget last month partly forced the Bank of England to step in to stabilise UK debt prices and prevent a crisis in the pensions sector, one of its top officials said today. After Kwarteng slashed taxes by £45bn and signalled a borrowing surge on Friday 23 September, [...]
Construction firms clear backlogs before downturn hits October 6, 2022 Construction firms are clearing a huge backlog of work, but the sector is on course to shrivel in the coming months as it is whacked by soaring interest rates, a closely watched survey published today. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the construction industry swung [...]
Consumer squeeze ‘worse than I have ever known’ says ex CBI boss and Cobra Beer chair October 6, 2022 Consumers are being squeezed by “worse than I have ever known,” the former chief of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the founder of Cobra Beer has said. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Wake Up to Money programme, Lord Karan Bilimora was asked about the impact of industrial action this month – with [...]
Pound unwavering after Fitch downgrades credit outlook October 6, 2022 Pound sterling is up marginally against the US dollar at around $1.136 on Thursday morning after a lowered credit outlook from Fitch. The ratings agency lowered its outlook for government debt to negative from stable, arguing the government’s latest growth could lead to a significant increase in fiscal deficits over the medium term.” Sterling plunged [...]
Truss ‘giving with one hand and taking with other’ through stealth taxes, IFS says October 6, 2022 Liz Truss is “giving with one hand and taking with the other” by keeping stealth taxes, a new study out today reveals. Some £2 for every £1 returned to Brits in the prime minister and chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s tax cutting mini-budget will be lost to “fiscal drag,” the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said today. [...]
Pound snaps winning streak against US dollar after Truss conference speech October 5, 2022 The pound slumped against the US dollar today, slicing some of the gains it has made since the currency collapsed after Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget last month. Sterling weakened as much as two per cent against the greenback. It was down against the euro too. The world’s major currencies have tumbled against the dollar this year. [...]
City sitdown: Private equity should learn to be more emotional, argues City grandee October 5, 2022 Whether you like it or not, private equity is a significant part of the UK economy and accounts for almost 50 percent of all deal value, double the level from just five years ago, according to a recent deal analysis from PwC. Its fingerprint has been all over household names including Asda, the AA, Morrisons and [...]
Services economy stalls as UK ‘drifts’ toward recession October 5, 2022 Britain’s all important services economy is stagnating, driven by consumers cutting spending in response to soaring inflation, a closely watched survey out today shows. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute for Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 50 last month from 50.9 in August. The reading means the UK services economy [...]
Kwarteng trashes market bets on earlier OBR report and fiscal plan October 4, 2022 The pound today climbed to its highest level against the US dollar in two weeks despite chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng trashing market expectations of a sooner-than-expected fiscal plan. Sterling surged 0.78 per cent against the greenback to buy $1.141. It has now regained all its losses since Kwarteng’s mini-budget rocked the currency last month. UK borrowing [...]