Pound faces ‘existential crisis’ with Sterling’s struggles similar to currencies in emerging markets, BofA warns May 31, 2022 The pound is facing an “existential crisis,” the Bank of America warned today, saying that the British currency is facing struggles similar to those in emerging markets. “Whilst not wishing to over-exaggerate GBP’s predicament as some kind of ‘end of days’ scenario, we are concerned that the increasing politicisation of UK policy undermines the GBP [...]
Tony Blair: Ditch the expensive ‘raincoats’ and just cut energy bills in half with mandatory green homes May 31, 2022 Free energy plans should be offered to every home in the UK to lower emissions while reducing energy bills before making them mandatory in the mid-2030s, according to a report by the Tony Blair Institute, shared with City A.M. this morning. The recommendation is one of a number of measures the report says could halve [...]
Russia’s biggest bank Sberbank thrown out of SWIFT while EU moves to ban 90 per cent of Russian oil May 31, 2022 Most Russian oil imports into the EU will be blocked by year-end as part of new sanctions on Moscow, European leaders agreed late last night. The compromise was made at a two-day summit focused on helping Ukraine with a long-delayed package of new financial support. The embargo covers Russian oil brought in by sea, allowing [...]
Exclusive: London is the Silicon Valley of Europe, but ‘can not afford to sit on its tech laurels’ May 30, 2022 Forbes heralded London recently as the Silicon Valley of Europe as the capital proved to be “Brexit-proof” with around 18,500 new startups registering in 2021 alone. Although hybrid working has been adopted by many companies, London remains a place where giants such as Google, with its King’s Cross ‘landscraper’, nestle with newer companies such as fintech boomer Revolut, [...]
Sainsbury’s to pump £500m into offsetting rising costs as CEO says ‘we have to make it easy’ May 30, 2022 Sainsbury’s boss said this morning the supermarket giant plans to pump fresh funds into offsetting rising costs over the rest of the year as shoppers become “increasingly concerned” about their finances. The UK’s second largest supermarket chain said it will invest more than £500m into lower pricing by March 2023 as part of a long-term [...]
NIESR top economist: Bank of England has tools to fight inflation May 30, 2022 The UK economy is in a bit of a bind. Households are being squeezed by historic rises in their living costs, while businesses’ margins are thinning due to expenses soaring. A much higher than expected inflation crunch – primarily the result of Russia’s unforeseen invasion of Ukraine – is forecast to trigger a spending pull [...]
Brexit: UK ports introduce customs clearance fees in ‘bulls**t money-making exercise’ to recoup lost revenues May 28, 2022 Ports across the UK have introduced so-called ‘customs clearance fees’ in an attempt to recoup lost revenues in border control posts as a result of delays to phytosanitary procedures. Ports in London, Tilbury, Southampton and Teesport are charging customers new, additional fees that range from £17 to £25 per entry. Moreover, Southampton and DP World [...]
Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust: buying opportunity? May 27, 2022 | City Talk Scottish Mortgage (LON: SMT) shares are still up 77% over the past five years, despite recent falls. And as central banks make increasingly hawkish noises, its share price is now trading at a 12.7% discount to net asset value. However, this could represent a FTSE 100 buying opportunity. Scottish Mortgage Manager Tom Slater recently told investors that ‘in retrospect, it [...]
Windfall tax u-turn drags down London-listed energy titans May 27, 2022 London-listed energy companies that will be caught by Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s windfall tax tumbled during opening exchanges today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index was flat this morning at 7,564.82 points, while the mid-cap domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, jumped 0.52 per cent to 20,354.82 [...]
Windfall tax is a big risk and Rishi Sunak’s policies may lead to recession, warns former minister May 27, 2022 FORMER Tory leadership candidate Sir John Redwood has warned that the Government’s windfall tax on energy firms is risky and its economic policies may be leading us towards a recession. He said he was opposed to a windfall tax on energy firms as it would affect future investment. “Why don’t I want a windfall tax on the energy [...]