FTSE 100 live: BP propels London index higher after posting record £23bn profit markets London’s FTSE 100 was boosted this morning by investors piling into oil giant BP , which announced its highest ever full year profits of £23bn last year. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.41 per cent to 7,868.25 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK [...]
House prices are poised to slide in 2023 but straight into the hands of the lucky few jack barnett There’s a pretty wild variety of house price predictions doing the rounds. Capital Economics have forecast they could fall 12 per cent, while experts at property search site Zoopla are a bit more optimistic. The consensus seems to be somewhere around a six per cent fall in 2023. One thing is certain: house prices are [...]
Liz Truss admits £45bn mini budget would have been scaled back if Bank of England warned on LDI crunch liz truss Former prime minister Liz Truss has today admitted her calamitous mini-budget could have scaled back had she known about the existence of LDIs. Truss admitted in an interview with Spectator TV that she “didn’t know the existence” of LDIs – liability driven investment vehicles – which sparked a near fire sale in the pension market [...]
FTSE 100: London falls from record high as retailers JD Sports, Next and Mike Ashley’s Frasers drag index down February 6, 2023 The FTSE 100 started the week lower on Monday, as retailers dragged the index lower. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.82 per cent to 7,836.71 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, closed at 20,409.38, down 0.89 per cent. The fall takes the [...]
Bank of England aggressive rate hikes send chill through UK construction economy February 6, 2023 The Bank of England’s ten successive interest rate rises have sent a chill through the UK’s construction economy, a closely watched survey out today shows. Potential home buyers are shunning purchases due to mortgage rates flying higher, prompting house builders to rein in spending. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) [...]
Bank of England will have to keep hiking rates to stop inflation hanging around, MPC’s Mann warns February 6, 2023 The Bank of England will have to hike interest rates again to stop the UK from being hit by a much stronger inflation surge than expected, one of its top rate setters has said today. Catherine Mann, an external member of the monetary policy committee (MPC) who has consistently backed steeper rate increases compared to [...]
FTSE 100 live: London index pulls away from record high as US dollar strengthens on Fed rate hike bets February 6, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 climbed down from its record high to kick off the week today, dragged lower by big British retailers taking a tumble. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.87 per cent to 7,833.20 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, edged 0.10 [...]
China Covid-19 case surge and Brexit disruption worry UK firms most, survey finds February 6, 2023 A surge in Covid-19 cases in China gumming up supply chains threatens to snag the UK economy, a survey out today reveals. Trade flows hobbled by workers in China being too sick to work after contracting the virus or Beijing reimposing lockdowns in response to a rise in cases ranks as the top concern among [...]
City jobs surge in year after Brexit as Barclays, JP Morgan and Revolut accelerate recruitment February 6, 2023 Finance firms ramped up efforts to hire workers in the year after Brexit, with big banks Barclays and JP Morgan and fintech Revolut leading the charge, according to exclusive figures shared with City A.M. London banks, accountants and fintechs led the recruitment charge in 2022, offering more one in two of every vacancy in England [...]
Bank of England not poised to slash interest rates until middle of next year despite inflation cooling February 5, 2023 A year of interest rate pain is still in store for households, businesses and mortgagors even after Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and his team of economists have already lifted borrowing costs 10 times in a row. That is according to several top City economists, who do not expect interest rate cuts until early [...]