Inflation report to give clues on rate hike date – London Report February 8, 2015 THE BANK of England’s quarterly inflation report is this week expected to offer an insight into whether historically-low interest rates will be increased this year or next. Howard Archer, of IHS Global Insight, said: “The Bank of England will obviously have to cut its near-term inflation forecasts sharply given that consumer price inflation fell sharply [...]
Tesco tells suppliers to cut prices as commodities slump February 8, 2015 Tesco has delivered a stern message to its suppliers: cut prices or your products could be taken off the shelves. The scandal-hit supermarket is still rebuilding its reputation following the revelation of ia £263m profit blackhole last year, yet an ongoing price war with discounters such as Aldi and Lidl has kept its [...]
Tesco GCA probe: More supermarkets could be investigated, says watchdog February 6, 2015 More supermarkets could be investigated by the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), a watchdog for UK businesses has warned. Yesterday, the GCA launched an examination of Tesco's relationships with its suppliers, saying it had acquired enough evidence to suggest bullying and delays in payments had taken place. Christine Tacon, adjudicator for the GCA, [...]
Tesco probed over supplier mistreatment February 5, 2015 TESCO could be “named and shamed” if found guilty of breaching supplier rules, the grocery industry’s watchdog Christine Tacon said yesterday after launching her own investigation into Britain’s biggest supermarket chain. The retailer sent shockwaves through the industry in September when its new chief executive Dave Lewis revealed profits had been overstated by £263m following [...]
Here’s how UK businesses can protect themselves against a strengthening US dollar February 5, 2015 The US dollar's strength is surging against the pound and the euro – a trend that could cause problems for some UK businesses. As international confidence in the US economy intensifies, many investors have turned to the dollar as a much safer bet than its Asian or European counterparts, with China's growth slowing and [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates at record low of 0.5 per cent and keeps £375bn quantitative easing programme in February February 5, 2015 There are no surprises from the Bank of England, again. The central bank held its benchmark interest rate a record low of 0.5 per cent for the 71st month in a row. It also kept its quantitative easing programme steady at £375bn at the monetary policy committee's (MPC) February meeting. While the UK economy has [...]
Afren share price falls 16 per cent after S&P downgrade on possible default February 5, 2015 Embattled oil producer Afren's share price closed down 13 per cent today, after major credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) warned of a possible default. Afren's share price had fallen as much as 15.8 per cent to 9.35 per pence share in mid-morning trade. However, it was still above this year's low of 4.2 pence [...]
Tesco faces investigation by yet another regulator over payment to suppliers February 5, 2015 Tesco has fallen under the scrutiny of yet another regulator, as a huge black hole in profits continues to raise questions about the supermarket's practices. In September last year, Tesco revealed that it overstated its group profits for the six months to 23 August by an estimated £250m, which was soon revised up to £263m. [...]
Greek fallout hits Wall St in final minutes – New York Report February 4, 2015 Eurozone worries, caused by a stand-off between Greece and one of its creditors in the dying minutes of trade led the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq lower yesterday. The benchmark index added to losses late in the session after the European Central Bank (ECB) abruptly cancelled its acceptance of Greek bonds in return for funding. [...]
Bank of England fears a public backlash on mortgage controls February 3, 2015 The Bank of England must educate the public on its new powers over mortgage lending or risk harm to its reputation, top official Donald Kohn told MPs yesterday. Officials can limit loan to income ratios and debt to income ratios if they fear the housing market is becoming a risk to financial stability. But that [...]