Hospitality chiefs call on Sunak to reverse VAT hike or leave London businesses ‘unviable overnight’ March 20, 2022 Hospitality heads have said the government’s plans to increase VAT from current rates of 12.5 per cent to highs of 20 per cent at the start of next month will see some London businesses “become unviable overnight.” Industry chiefs warned that Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plans to hike consumer taxes on food, soft drinks, accommodation, and [...]
Soaring inflation is UK’s main financial concern March 20, 2022 Soaring inflation is the top financial concern for UK adults, in both the long and short term, according to new research from M&G Wealth. A quarter (25 per cent) of UK adults cited soaring inflation as their main financial concern over the coming year, according to a survey of 2,000 people. A further 18 per [...]
1 Minute Market Rundown – 18th March 2022 March 18, 2022 | City Talk Russia – UkraineRisk bouncesCrypto finds supportDovish hike by the Old Lady Risk continued to hold in well yesterday as equity and crypto markets held on to gains posted recently. Overnight we have seen the equity rally stall as the surge in Chinese tech stocks fizzled out and oil moved back above $100 a barrel. We [...]
Manufacturing firm Essentra’s revenue up after pandemic and ‘supply chain headwind’ March 18, 2022 Plastics and fibre manufacturer Essentra experienced a a spike in revenue in 2021, as it continues to weather the storm of supply chain problems impacted by the Ukraine war. The FTSE 250-listed company had an increase in overall revenue to £960m, up from £897m in 2020, representing a seven per sent rise. Its pre-tax profit [...]
Has the Ukraine war sped up the clean energy revolution? March 18, 2022 | City Talk As energy security rises up the political agenda, we look at what Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means for climate change investing. Russia’s shocking invasion of Ukraine is having horrendous consequences, and our thoughts are with the millions of people affected. As climate change investors, we also have to consider the impact of the conflict on [...]
Europe set to open higher as Bank of Japan keeps policy unchanged March 18, 2022 European and US stocks have continued to recover lost ground this week, despite there being little prospect of a ceasefire, or imminent cessation of hostilities, between Russia and Ukraine. “We did falter a little bit during the European trading session after the Kremlin poured cold water on reports of major progress on peace talks, calling [...]
Gold prices recover despite Federal Reserve rate hike March 17, 2022 Gold prices have surged to $1,941 per ounce despite the US Federal Reserve increasing interest rates by 25 basis points.
1 Minute Market Rundown – 17th March 2022 March 17, 2022 | City Talk Russia – UkraineRisk sentiment improvesFed delivers So there were two big talking points yesterday. Firstly, Chinese authorities decided enough was enough and stepped in to prop up domestic equity markets. They pledged to keep capital markets stable, support oversea stock listings and confirming that regulation of big tech will end soon. Unsurprisingly, Asian stocks saw [...]
The Rise of Digital Securities March 17, 2022 | City Talk In 2021 the modern economic landscape is already beginning to shift. The growth of cryptocurrencies and decentralised finance (DeFi) has been a part of the discussion for years, but the reality of how it will impact securities trading is finally being realised. An increasing number of securities are now digitised in a variety of sectors, [...]
How Blockchain Can Take the Finance Industry Beyond APIs March 17, 2022 | City Talk Have you got an API for that? In the developing world of fintech, many platforms are based around Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). These APIs are essential for offering one’s services to clients who wish to consume machine to machine rather than through your website. They have become the next big thing after delivering your services [...]