Economic downturn pummels UK factories August 1, 2022 UK factories are succumbing to a concoction of downside risks that have shifted the sector into “reverse gear,” a closely watched survey published today revealed. Activity in the British manufacturing sector last month plunged to a 25-month low of 52.1, down from 52.8 in June and slightly below analysts’ expectations, according to S&P Global’s purchasing [...]
Exclusive: UK small businesses on high recession alert August 1, 2022 British sole traders and small businesses are battening down the hatches in preparation for a looming recession, exclusive research shared with City A.M. reveals. Over three quarters of small firms are fretting over the UK economy steering into reverse, according to fintech firm iwoca. Firms are scrambling to boost their cash reserves to help weather [...]
Brits struggle to cut back as inflation eats into budgets August 1, 2022 Brits are struggling to find any more areas of spending to cut back on to keep their finances above water, a new survey published today reveals. Over one in 10 households will have nothing else to slash from their budgets when the October energy price cap hike lands, according to a survey by Legal and [...]
Sky-high inflation slows UK private sector economy to ‘standstill’ August 1, 2022 Consumers reacting to scaling prices by cutting spending is expected to grind the UK economy to a halt, new surveys published today revealed. Private sector firms think they will squeeze out zero growth over the next three months, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the country’s largest business lobby group. Businesses are beginning [...]
Week ahead: City braces for biggest Bank rate hike since independence July 31, 2022 The City will this week be bracing for what could be the steepest interest rate rise since February 1995. London’s premier FTSE 100 index posted a strong performance last week, climbing just over two per cent to 7,423.43 points. The mid-cap domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK [...]
Eurozone inflation surges to fresh record high dialling up pressure on ECB July 29, 2022 Prices are rising are the fastest pace on record in the eurozone, figures published today revealed. Inflation surged to 8.9 per cent, up from 8.6 per cent in June, the highest rate since the creation of the euro in 1999. The fresh figures dial up pressure on the European Central Bank (ECB) to hoist interest [...]
NatWest shock profits lift London’s FTSE 100 July 29, 2022 London markets were boosted by investors piling into NatWest after it announced it will hand back £2.1bn to investors. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index climbed 0.39 per cent to 7,374.25 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, added 1.32 per cent to [...]
COP27 blog: what next for climate change? July 29, 2022 | City Talk With just over 100 days to go until the UN climate summit, we kick off our running blog with a COP26 recap and a look at what’s next. The United Nations’ climate conference COP27 is set to take place in Egypt this November. Lisa Sizeland in Schroders’ global content team has summarised what COP27 is and why it [...]
Upbeat earnings fail to turn investors’ eyes from steep US technical recession July 28, 2022 A string of upbeat earnings was not today enough to cushion City investor jitters over a slowdown in the US economy. London’s premier FTSE 100 index dipped 0.04 per cent to 7,345.09 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, added 1.1 per cent [...]
US plunges into technical recession as rest of world braces for similar fate July 28, 2022 The US economy has plunged into a technical recession in a sign of things to come for the rest of the world, figures published today revealed. The American economy unexpectedly shrank 0.9 per cent in the three months to June, marking the second successive quarter the economy has contracted, meeting the common definition of a [...]