Sunak comes out fighting in defence of tax hikes and spending spree November 1, 2021 Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak has defended his decision to swell the tax burden to its highest level in decades. Responding to a grilling from fellow MPs on the Treasury Committee, Sunak said last week’s bumper budget spending spree was designed to deliver on a “bunch of commitments” the government promised to achieve. The Chancellor’s decision [...]
Spate of downbeat economic news knocks UK business confidence November 1, 2021 The spate of negative news about the health of the UK economy has knocked businesses’ confidence. A combination of supply chain snarl ups, soaring inflation, severe worker shortages and uncertainty over the trajectory of Covid-19 has pulled confidence levels back from highs of 27 per cent in June, research by the Institute of Directors (IoD) [...]
How does climate change intersect with the financial sector and economic growth? November 1, 2021 | Sponsored Effects of climate change extend far beyond the environment, with impact on everything from international security to healthcare and the economy. Many industries, including banking and finance, are changing the way they operate and are preparing for a more environmentally sustainable future. As climate change impacts biodiversity and increases the prevalence of natural disasters, environmental [...]
Five charts which explain what is going on with inflation November 1, 2021 | City Talk “Output gap”, “bottlenecks”, “core inflation”, “base effects”, “second-round effects” “labour participation rate”. These are some of the key industry terms essential to understanding what’s going on with inflation. Soaring job vacancies reflect the strong economic recovery of the world’s major economies, as Covid-19 induced restrictions have been gradually eased. Shortages of materials, energy and transport [...]
Can UK handle a rate rise as economy rebounds? November 1, 2021 | City Talk The UK economy grew by 0.4% in the month of August after latest estimates showed GDP contracted in July by 0.1%. July was disrupted by a spike in infections and tougher restrictions on self-isolation and testing for anyone in contact with those testing positive for Covid-19. This was known as the “pingdemic”, referring to the [...]
Beyond GDP growth: why natural capital matters November 1, 2021 | City Talk As the climate crisis accelerates, financial markets are paying more attention to risks and opportunities stemming from the energy transition, taking into consideration the risks related to fossil fuel production and consumption. While decarbonising the production mix and promoting energy efficiency is essential to fight climate change, we think that markets are underestimating the fundamental [...]
Supply chain breakdowns continue to drag on UK manufacturing November 1, 2021 Supply chain breakdowns continue to drag the UK manufacturing industry down, but greenshoots of stronger growth are emerging. Delays in deliveries for crucial materials, compounded by worker and skills shortages drove slower output growth among British manufacturing firms, a closely watched survey has found. IHS Markit’s latest purchasing managers’ index for the UK manufacturing industry [...]
London set to drive UK recovery with business confidence highest in capital November 1, 2021 London businesses are set to drive the UK’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis over the coming months. Firms in the capital are the most confident out of all regions across the country, according to Lloyds Bank’s latest businesses barometer survey. 65 per cent of London businesses are optimistic about their medium term prospects, up [...]
Ex-Bank of England governor warns transition to net-zero will not happen ‘overnight’ October 31, 2021 A former governor of the Bank of England has warned gearing the UK toward a greener economy will not happen overnight. Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Mark Carney, who headed the Old Lady between 2013 – 2020 said “It would be great if we could flip a green switch overnight… we can’t.” Carney, now [...]
City brings forward bets on Bank of England rate hike to this week October 31, 2021 The Bank of England will hike interest rates this week to hose down runaway inflation, according to several grandee City investment banks. JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Santander have all brought their bets on when the Old Lady will increase borrowing costs to this Thursday’s rate setting meeting. The strengthening bets have been driven [...]