Signs of unemployment jump emerge in UK economy – and it won’t solve worker shortages May 17, 2023 There are some signs that Britain’s red hot jobs market is calming down. That’ll please officials at the Bank of England, who, remember, are trying to make people and businesses (on average) a bit worse off to tame inflation. Wage growth which, in cash terms, has been rising rapidly for around a year, didn’t spring [...]
FTSE 100 close: Vodafone tumbles more than seven per cent after announcing 11,000 job cuts May 16, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 gave up gains today as fresh data yielded tentative signs that the UK workforce is rebalancing and telecoms giant Vodafone tumbled quickly. The capital’s premier index fell 0.34 per cent to 7,751.07 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, was [...]
UK isn’t alone in this recession merry-go-round – just look at Europe May 16, 2023 It’s worth remembering that Britain isn’t some sort of pariah in the rich world that’s undergoing a tough economic slump, which is threatening to extend the growth slow down since the 2008 financial crisis. Europe’s major economies, led by Germany, its powerhouse, are also in the teeth of a slump. Numbers out last week revealed [...]
‘Greedflation’ not to blame for UK price surge, former rate setter claims May 15, 2023 “Greedflation” is not to blame for prices surging in the UK and instead businesses are pushing up prices in response to soaring costs, a former Bank of England rate-setter claimed today. Michael Saunders, an ex-member of the monetary policy committee – the nine strong group that sets interest rates in Britain – and now senior [...]
UK on track to dodge recession as economy grows 0.1 per cent in first quarter May 12, 2023 Britain is on course to officially dodge a technical recession in the first half of this year, demonstrating the big turnaround in the country’s economic fortunes in just a handful of months, figures out today show. Gross domestic product (GDP) – which measures all goods and services made in an economy – edged 0.1 per [...]
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey rebuffs Huw Pill’s ‘accept you’re worse off’ comment May 11, 2023 The Governor of the Bank of England has suggested that the Bank’s most senior economist chose the wrong words when saying that people and businesses should accept they are poorer now because of inflation. Andrew Bailey said that there had been a hit to national income, and did not appear to criticise the substance of [...]
Bank of England hikes interest rates for twelfth time in a row and warns of ‘significant’ inflation risk May 11, 2023 The Bank of England today hiked interest for the twelfth time in a row and to their highest level since October 2008, but warned inflation will stay higher for longer than it previously thought. The monetary policy committee (MPC) – the nine-member group tasked with setting interest rates in the UK – voted 7-2 in [...]
Mortgages: How the BoE’s twelfth consecutive rate rise will affect homeowners May 11, 2023 Homeowners on tracker mortgages could see their annual bills increase by £5,008 a year following the Bank of England’s twelfth consecutive rate rise on Thursday, though analysts have said the latest rise will not have a substantial impact on the housing market. The monetary policy committee (MPC) voted 7-2 in favour of raising borrowing costs [...]
Interest rate boon for UK banks coming to an end despite BoE’s 25 basis point hike May 11, 2023 Banks have been revelling in the BoE’s sharp rate hikes, but today’s 25 basis point hike – which brings interest rates to 4.5 per cent – is unlikely to improve banks’ bottom line significantly, analysts said. Increasing competition and regulatory pressure means banks will likely have to pass on more of the rate hike – [...]
Bank of England ditches any threat of recession in biggest GDP upgrade since 1997 independence May 11, 2023 Any threat of a recession in Britain this year and over the medium term has today been scrapped by the Bank of England in what was the largest upgrade to the central bank’s GDP projections since it was made independent in 1997. The UK economy is now tipped to broadly flatline this year and start [...]