Week ahead: Russia-Ukraine conflict to drive market swings in City February 27, 2022 Wild market swings are expected to characterise the week ahead in the City as investors respond sharply to developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Last week, the FTSE 100 registered its worst day in 20 months on Thursday, the day Russian troops flooded into Ukraine, before staging a comeback on Friday to end the week down [...]
‘Perfect storm’ of headwinds crimps UK optimism February 25, 2022 A “perfect storm” of headwinds gripping households with the tightest financial squeeze in a generation is eroding Brits’ optimism, reveals a closely watched survey published today. Concern about the impact soaring inflation will have on household finances drove UK consumer confidence to its lowest level in over a year, plummeting to minus 26 points this [...]
Julie Meyer: Further allegations dog venture capitalist February 24, 2022 VENTURE capitalist Julie Meyer was under further fire this evening as a host of previous business contacts alleged “gross, willful, and unethical” behaviour over a number of years. The High Court earlier this week issued an arrest warrant for Meyer after she failed to attend a hearing over a disputed £197,000 legal bill from Farrer [...]
Full-blown Russian incursion of Ukraine triggers global market rout February 24, 2022 Global investors fled stocks today after they woke up to the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a full invasion of Ukraine. Risk appetite poured out of traders’ mindsets as they flowed into safe assets to limit the potential spillover economic effects of Moscow troops closing in on Kiev. The capital’s premier FTSE [...]
Rishi Sunak to outline argument for tax cuts in keynote speech February 23, 2022 Rishi Sunak will promise to cut taxes in a keynote speech today, with the chancellor to hit out at “flippant” calls for him to slash taxes immediately without considering the effect on planned spending. The chancellor will say at the annual Mais lecture that “I am going to deliver a lower tax economy, but I [...]
Labour: Starmer to take swipe at Corbyn’s economic legacy in Huddersfield speech February 23, 2022 Sir Keir Starmer will further outline what Labour’s economic policies would look like in government and take a shot at the direction of the party under former leader Jeremy Corbyn in a keynote speech tomorrow. Starmer will say that a Labour government will ensure “Britain will once again grow” and “build an economy of prosperity, [...]
Bumper results ease Russia-Ukraine fears in the City February 23, 2022 London’s top indexes were muddled yesterday despite some of the City’s largest companies reporting bumper results, boosting investor sentiment. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index edged 0.05 per cent higher to 7,498.18 points, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, lost 0.72 per cent to [...]
Bank of England Governor Bailey doubles down on pleas to go easy on pay demands February 23, 2022 The Governor of the Bank of England yesterday doubled down on his pleas to workers to temper pay demands despite households facing the worst cost of living squeeze in a generation. Andrew Bailey added to his previous comments when responding to a grilling by MPs, also calling on businesses to exercise restraint during price setting [...]
Preventing entrenched inflation will require inflicting economic self-harm, IMF warns February 23, 2022 Preventing inflation from spiralling out of control will require dealing a heavy blow to the UK’s economic health, the world’s economic watchdog warned today. Getting inflation back down to the Bank of England’s two per cent target will come with the trade off of squeezing households’ living standards and choking economic growth, the International Monetary [...]
Firms on the hunt for staff despite labour squeeze February 23, 2022 Employers are planning on expanding their workforce despite an ongoing labour squeeze scuppering recruitment efforts, reveals a new survey published today. A net 24 per cent of companies intend to ramp up hiring over both the medium and long term, according to a survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). Strong hiring intentions indicate [...]