Fewer firms expanded headcount following the Budget, BCC says January 14, 2025 Fewer firms increased their headcount in the final quarter of last year, a new survey showed, as businesses prepare for the impact of the national insurance hike.
UK CFOs set to cut hiring and slash investment following Budget January 13, 2025 Finance chiefs at UK businesses are focused on cutting costs in the wake of the Budget, with investment and hiring set to suffer as a result. Over half (52 per cent) of CFOs surveyed by Deloitte said cost reduction was a strong priority for their business in the wake of the Chancellor’s tax raid. The [...]
Morrisons joins farmers in fight against Budget tax hike January 12, 2025 Morrisons shows its support towards the farming community, backing its call for urgent reforms to inheritance tax policies on farms following Rachel Reeves’ October Budget. In a LinkedIn video released on Saturday, Sophie Throup, the supermarket’s head of agriculture, emphasised the major Morrisons’ ongoing advocacy, reeling from the Chancellor’s sweeping inheritance tax levy. In October, [...]
Rachel Reeves or Liz Truss: Who really ‘crashed the economy’? January 10, 2025 Amid UK bond market turmoil, how does Reeves' budget compare to Truss' - and who is really responsible for 'crashing the economy'?
Pound sterling sinks and gilt yields rise after US jobs report January 10, 2025 The pound plummeted against the dollar while gilt yields came under further pressure after new figures revealed the continued strength of the US economy. According to the latest report on the US labour market, the world’s largest economy added 256,000 roles in December, accelerating from November and well ahead of economists expectations. Unemployment, meanwhile, unexpectedly [...]
Boots warns of higher Budget costs amid sales surge January 10, 2025 High street pharmacy giant Boots has warned it faces “heightened cost pressures” in 2025 following the Autumn Budget as it revealed strong sales towards the end of last year. The new boss of the Nottingham-headquartered company, Anthony Hemmerdinger, added that while Boots has come under increased pressure, “the business is focused on navigating these and [...]
Share price down after Sainsbury’s reported bumper Christmas January 10, 2025 Sainsbury's claims to have won the grocery market share for the fifth consecutive Christmas, with sales up nearly four per cent
What’s behind the bond market turmoil? January 9, 2025 Although the jitters had calmed somewhat by Thursday afternoon, traders will be on high alert over the coming days.
Reeves ‘will be forced to hold Spring Budget’ to settle gilt jitters, Abrdn predicts January 9, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be forced to hold a spring Budget this year to rein in government spending and settle investors’ nerves, after the cost of government borrowing hit multi-decade highs this week, Abrdn has predicted. Despite ministers insisting the gilt market was functioning in an “orderly” way and no emergency measures would be taken, [...]
Price hikes are coming as firms battle Reeves tax raid, Bank of England survey suggests January 9, 2025 The Bank's latest decision maker panel, which surveys finance chiefs around the country, showed that firms' inflation expectations picked up in December.