Households hunker down finances as they brace for worsening cost of living crunch March 1, 2022 Households are hunkering down their finances in preparation for the cost of living crunch to tighten, reveals official data published today. Brits cut back on spending last month and channeled money into their savings accounts to offset a future deterioration in their budgets caused by soaring inflation. Households added £7.8bn to their savings accounts last [...]
London’s top indexes edge higher as investors mull next Russia-Ukraine developments March 1, 2022 London’s top indexes jumped this morning as investor fears over the potential fallout of economic sanctions levelled against Russia tempered. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index added 0.2 per cent to rise to 7,473.42 points, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, edged down 0.07 [...]
Warner Bros, Walt Disney and Sony pull out as Hollywood studios cancel movie releases in Russia March 1, 2022 Warner Bros, Sony Pictures and The Walt Disney Company all said they are pausing, cancelling or delaying the release of films in Russia in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The entertainment giants all announced the decisions on Monday evening as Russian military forces continued their attacks on Ukrainian cities. Violence continues to rage [...]
Reforming fiscal regime is no taxing issue March 1, 2022 Amid the surplus of analysis devoted to improving the UK tax system, debate over whether the government’s current and future level of spending sometimes slips by. With interest rates expected to climb as the Bank of England leans even further into hawkish policy and inflation already hitting near 30-year highs, the cost of borrowing will [...]
CBI: Permanent investment relief needed to unlock economic growth March 1, 2022 Creating a permanent tax relief on business investment will unlock a well of productivity hidden in the UK economy, according to Britain’s biggest business group. The government should strengthen incentives for businesses to ramp up capital spending by using the super deduction as a model to create a permanent investment scheme, the Confederation of British [...]
Ukrainians made up half of all UK temporary worker visa applications in 2021 March 1, 2022 Around 45 per cent of applications for UK temporary work visas last year were made by Ukrainian nationals, who accounted for 19,858 of the total 44,114 applications made last year, according to new data shared with City A.M. this morning. There was also an unusually high number of applications from Russian nationals, who accounted for [...]
Destruction of Russian-focused stocks leads London’s top indexes lower February 28, 2022 A NEAR destruction of Russian exposed London-listed stocks held the City’s top index lower today in a wild day of trading on the Square Mile. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index lost as much as 1.4 per cent during the morning, before finishing down 0.42 per cent at 7,458.25 points. Meanwhile, the domestically-focused FTSE 250 [...]
Russia’s economy plunges into chaos as Western sanctions bite February 28, 2022 Russia’s economy has been plunged into chaos after Western sanctions triggered a collapse in the country’s currency today. The value of the rouble tumbled as much as 30 per cent against the dollar today, dropping to its lowest ever level against the global currency benchmark. The sharp and sudden weakening in the rouble prompted Russia’s [...]
Brits’ inflation expectations climb to record high piling pressure on BoE to launch more rate hikes February 28, 2022 Britons’ expectations for inflation in a decade’s time is running at a joint record high, heaping further pressure on the Bank of England to continue its rate hike cycle. Households think the cost of living will land at 4.1 per cent in ten years’ time, up from 3.8 per cent last month, the joint highest [...]
Ukraine crisis: what does it mean for asset allocation? February 28, 2022 | City Talk Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is having devastating human consequences, has increased the risk of a stagflation environment – one of slowing economic growth but high inflation. How should investors prepare for this possible scenario? Our analysis reveals which asset classes are likely to outperform if it comes to pass. Our live blog on the Ukraine crisis [...]