Outlook 2022: CIO and markets December 22, 2021 | City Talk Equity returns will be more muted, but still positive, in 2022, supported by solid corporate earnings. Inflation remains a concern and will put pressure on central banks to start to raise rates. The latest Covid-19 variant – Omicron – is already leading to partial lockdowns, which could lead to slower growth at the start of [...]
UK economic growth: Sharp pullback as GDP climbs by just over 1 per cent and contraction expected this month December 22, 2021 The UK economy grew at a slower pace than first thought between July and September, at 1.1 per cent, compared with the 1.3 per cent initial estimate, the Office for National Statistics said this morning. This was before the impact of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus. This marks a sharp pullback on growth in [...]
City fine: Bank of England tells Metro Bank to pay millions for reporting and governance failures that went on for years December 22, 2021 Metro Bank was told this morning by the Bank of England to pay close to £5.4m for failures with regards to the quality of its reporting and governance. The central bank’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) watchdog confirmed it imposed the penalty on the challenger bank over failings between May 2016 and January 2019. On January [...]
Graft Polymer to list on London Stock Exchange December 22, 2021 Graft Polymer has announced its intention to list on the London Stock Exchange, where it will look to trade on the main market for listed securities.
Omicron, inflation and shortages compound to spike UK businesses December 22, 2021 A cocktail of Omicron, soaring inflation and ongoing worker shortages are spiking UK businesses, reveals a fresh study released today. Business confidence in the UK economy dipped nine percentage points over the last three months to minus six, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). The emergence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus has [...]
European gas prices reach record highs as flows on key pipeline move towards Russia December 21, 2021 European gas prices hit record levels on the same day power prices peaked on the continent, as flows on the Yamal-Europe pipeline moved eastwards.
Putin warns of military response to ‘aggressive’ Nato as invasion fears rise December 21, 2021 Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Nato he will respond “harshly to hostile steps”, amid escalating fears the country could invade Ukraine.
Microsoft’s $16bn Nuance bid secures EU antitrust approval December 21, 2021 Microsoft's $16bn (£12bn) bid for AI company Nuance has won approval from the European Commission following an antitrust probe.
London markets whipsaw on Omicron curbs uncertainty December 21, 2021 A whipsawing in the likelihood of fresh restrictions to curb the spread of Omicron being imposed in England is generating wild swings on London markets. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 1.38 per cent higher today to reach 7,297.41 points, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned to the health of [...]
Travel industry 2022 lookahead: Are we back to square one? December 21, 2021 Less than a month ago, Luis Gallego – chief executive of British Airways’ (BA) owner IAG – was telling aviation stakeholders the industry’s recovery was on its way. Speaking at the Airlines UK conference in Westminster, Gallego revealed that “transatlantic bookings have reached almost 100 per cent of 2019 levels.” “I expect North Atlantic routes [...]