US Fed’s hawkish tilt pours cold water on global markets January 6, 2022 The sudden realisation that equity markets may not be propped up by ultra loose monetary policy for much longer after the US Federal Reserve released minutes highlighting the scale of its hawkish turn poured cold water on investors today. London’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 0.88 per cent lower at 7,450.37 points, while the mid-cap [...]
British firms intend to hike prices five per cent this year January 6, 2022 British businesses are laying the foundations to hike prices sharply this year as they scramble to survive amid soaring costs, reveal official figures published today. UK firms are intending to raise prices five per cent this year, according to the Bank of England’s survey of chief financial officers of British businesses. A toxic combination of [...]
Combination of Covid, Brexit and transition towards net-zero economy to end decades of declining ‘job churn’ in UK January 6, 2022 Decades of declining “job churn”, which has meant fewer risks and opportunities for workers, is likely to be upended in the decade ahead as the combination of Covid-19, Brexit and the transition towards a net-zero economy brings about major changes in the UK economy, according to a new report. In fact, the view that robots [...]
Which direction will the UK’s economic weather vane blow in 2022? January 6, 2022 It’s fair to say the last two years have been a turbulent one for the UK economy. The pandemic has upended working practices, supply chains and the monetary policy playbook. With the emergence of the Omicron variant leaving the spectre of coronavirus hanging over the country, it’s fair to say the British economy is not [...]
British businesses prepare to hike prices en masse January 6, 2022 British businesses are bracing for a cost assault by preparing to hike prices, reveals fresh research released today. Almost three in five firms expect to lift prices in the next three months, the highest proportion ever recorded, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Intention to lift prices is seeping into most corners of [...]
City firms shake up UK jobs market but stalling change cuts off routes to higher pay January 6, 2022 City firms are changing the landscape of the UK jobs market, reveals a fresh study released today. Over the course of the last decade, the professional services sector underwent the biggest structural shake up of any other in the UK economy, according to the economic think tank the Resolution Foundation (the Foundation). In the last [...]
Baroness Lane Fox on digitalisation, accessibility and equality January 6, 2022 | City Talk This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Digitalisation is supercharging business practice, but it must not happen at the expense of accessibility and equality, Baroness Lane Fox tells Laurence Eastham Baroness Martha Lane Fox is one of the UK’s leading voices in technology and digital transformation. It’s a reputation that has been well earned, not [...]
London markets open flat as travel sector rally loses steam January 5, 2022 London markets posted a mixed performance yesterday as a rally among travel and airline stocks lost some steam. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 0.16 per cent higher at 7,516.87 points, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned to the health of the UK economy, lost 0.53 per cent to finish [...]
CPI inflation to scale to highest rate in recent history this spring and smash Bank of England’s expectations January 5, 2022 Inflation will hit a record high and smash the Bank of England’s expectations this year, according to bets laid by City analysts. The UK’s mainstream measure of inflation will accelerate to a peak of 6.8 per cent this April, propelled higher by swelling energy bills, investment banking giant Goldman Sachs warned yesterday. However, the cost [...]
Tough Omicron curbs whack European economy as growth dips to nine-month low January 5, 2022 Reimpositions of tough measures to curb the spread of coronavirus across Europe whacked the bloc’s economy last month, reveals a closely watched survey released today. The Eurozone economy grew at the slowest monthly pace in nine months in December, according to IHS Markit’s composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI). December’s reading fell to 53.3 from 55.4 [...]