FTSE 100 falls as coronavirus cases overshadow Sunak stimulus July 9, 2020 The FTSE 100 lost one and a half per cent today as fears over a continued rise in coronavirus cases offset chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £30bn of extra financial firepower. The UK index initially barely moved after yesterday’s 0.55 per cent drop, which left it at 6,156 points. By 4pm today the FTSE 100 had fallen [...]
US sees 1.3m new jobless claims as coronavirus cases remain high July 9, 2020 More than 1.3m Americans made new jobless claims last week, the Labor Department said, keeping claims on a downward trajectory despite a spike in coronavirus cases in the US. Weekly jobless claims peaked at over 6m at the end of March and have been steadily declining since then. Last week’s figure was better than expected. [...]
Now’s not the time to worry about £500bn of borrowing, says IFS July 9, 2020 The UK’s budget deficit could balloon to £350bn this year and £150bn the next, but tax rises or spending cuts to tackle the public debt should not be implemented “any time soon,” the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said. However, IFS boss Paul Johnson warned that the chancellor was spending huge amounts and that [...]
Rishi Sunak says he will deal with debt levels once picture clears July 9, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he will seek to reduce the huge budget deficit amassed during the coronavirus pandemic once the trajectory of the economy is “clearer”. Sunak, who yesterday pledged another £30bn worth of stimulus to fight the downturn, said it was difficult to strike the right balance between protecting the economy and the [...]
Page Group profit halves amid coronavirus lockdown July 9, 2020 Page Group’s profit almost halved as countries around the world entered lockdowns to curb the spread of coronavirus, the recruiter said today. Gross profit sank 47.6 per cent overall, with the UK one of the worst performers, where income sank 61.5 per cent year-on-year in the three months to 30 June. France plunged 52 per [...]
Budget deficit to surge past £300bn after Sunak stimulus, says IFS July 8, 2020 The UK’s budget deficit is set to rise further past the unprecedented £300bn mark after chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £30bn spending package of VAT cuts and job support programmes, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank has said. It said such a high pile of debt meant future statements from the chancellor “are likely to [...]
FTSE 100 slips despite Chancellor’s raft of new stimulus measures July 8, 2020 The FTSE 100 closed lower on Wednesday, even after the Chancellor unveiled a £30bn stimulus package to get consumers spending again. London’s blue-chip index closed down 0.55 per cent at 6,156 points after a muted day of trading. The FTSE 250 index of slightly smaller companies finished the day 0.95 per cent lower. It came [...]
Rishi Sunak Summer Statement: All the Chancellor’s spending pledges July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced a raft of measures in his Summer Statement in a bid to help the UK economy recover from the worst effects of coronavirus. The Treasury boss revealed massive public spending to bolster the UK economy in what people are calling his mini-Budget. While he did not extend the government’s furlough [...]
New job retention bonus at heart of Rishi Sunak’s £30bn spending spree July 8, 2020 UK chancellor Rishi Sunak today put a new “job retention bonus” programme to encourage companies to bring back furloughed workers at the centre of a £30bn package aimed at kickstarting the economy. In his summer statement, Sunak said employers who take back furloughed workers until the end of January will receive a £1,000 payment for [...]
City reckons more ‘enormous’ stimulus to come from Rishi Sunak in autumn July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today unveiled a package worth up to £30bn to boost the UK economy as the coronavirus lockdown is gradually eased, and promised it “will not be the last action”. At the centre of the stimulus is a “job retention bonus” worth up to £9bn that will pay companies to take back furloughed [...]