Energy bosses must be wise to the coming tide of public anger July 28, 2022 ONE OF a City chief exec’s key jobs is horizon scanning. For those in the energy sector, should they be finding their forecasting glasses a little fogged up, we’ll help: you’re about to become the least popular companies in Britain. It is hard to over-egg how painful energy bills could become this winter, with predictions [...]
Crypto prices surge after Fed hikes interest rates July 28, 2022 Cryptocurrencies prices climbed after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 75 basis points for the consecutive second month to tackle high inflation. Bitcoin jumped 7.5 per cent to trade at $22,965.5 today while Ether soared 11.14 per cent to trade at $1,624.9 after being pummelled by the crypto crash and investor uncertainty. The [...]
Powell invokes Volcker spirit with second successive 75 point hike July 27, 2022 The US Federal Reserve today doubled down on its efforts to chase down the biggest inflation shock in recent memory by hiking rates 75 basis points for the second time in a row. Chair Jerome Powell and the rest of the federal open market committee backed another big rise to cool America’s overheating jobs market [...]
Crypto crash does not have major impact on broader financial systems, says IMF July 27, 2022 The sell-off in the crypto market does not have a major effect on global financial conditions, the International Monetary Fund wrote in a report this week. “Crypto assets have experienced a dramatic sell-off that has led to large losses,” the IMF’s World Economic Outlook Update for July 2022 stated. “But spill overs to the broader [...]
London markets jump ahead of expected big US Federal Reserve rate rise July 27, 2022 London markets shrugged off bets on the US Federal Reserve hiking rate steeply later today to jump during opening exchanges. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index added 0.43 per cent to reach 7,337.93 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, increased 0.07 per [...]
Long Covid-19 deals £1.5bn blow to workers, IFS finds July 27, 2022 Britons suffering from long Covid-19 are missing out on £1.5bn in earnings as a result of being too ill to work, a new study published today reveals. Some 110,000 workers are missing from work because they are on sick leave with lingering symptoms of the virus, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Each [...]
IMF economy warning reverses FTSE 100 gains despite Unilever’s best efforts July 26, 2022 A bleak set of projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pegging UK growth as the worst in the G7 weighed on London markets today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index remained unchanged, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, dropped 1.18 per cent [...]
UK sinks to bottom of G7 growth league amid global economic downturn July 26, 2022 The global economy could be hurtling toward one of the sharpest slowdowns in recent memory, with the UK plummeting to the bottom of the G7 growth league, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned today. A full shut off of Russian gas flows to Europe and more upside inflation shocks would plunge growth into among the [...]
CBI: Consumer spending smashes expectations, but deeper dip may be on the way July 26, 2022 Consumer spending is defying expectations and holding up better than feared amid sky high inflation, a new survey published today reveals. Retail sales volumes dipped to net a balance of minus four per cent this month, slightly lower than June, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). But, the marginal drop was much better [...]
Homeowners on edge as inflation and interest rates rise: What is next for UK mortgage rates? July 26, 2022 Many people up and down the country will be feeling the financial strain of the cost-of-living crisis, and this’ll only add more pressure on the monthly budgets of millions of UK mortgage homeowners and of those currently looking to buy. With the Bank of England’s base rates having risen to 1.25 per cent in June [...]