Business confidence drops at fastest pace for over three years December 9, 2024 The optimism index dropped 5.8 points to 93.49 in November, which was the largest monthly fall since August 2021.
OakNorth boss says ‘wealth creators’ leaving UK over tax hikes December 9, 2024 The co-founder and chief executive of challenger bank OakNorth has warned that “wealth creators” are fleeing the UK over tax hikes as he accused the new government of falling short on entrepreneurship. Rishi Khosla, whose start-up bank has lent more than £10bn to businesses since launching in 2015, told City AM that “even when you [...]
Pubs boss: ‘We cannot allow the government to destroy family companies’ December 8, 2024 The boss of a seventh-generation pub and brewing giant has argued that “we cannot allow the government to destroy family companies” as they are the “bedrock of the UK economy”. In a post on LinkedIn William Lees-Jones, who owns and runs Manchester-based JW Lees, which has produced real ale since 1828, reiterated his opposition to the changes [...]
CBI downgrades forecast for UK economy after Budget December 6, 2024 The UK economy is set for slower than expected and “unimpressive” growth in 2025 thanks partly to punitive measures introduced in October’s Budget, a leading business group has predicted. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) now expects Britain’s economy to grow by just 1.5 per cent next year, it said in its latest economic forecast, [...]
Firms set to hike prices, reduce pay and cut staff, Bank of England survey shows December 5, 2024 More than half of firms surveyed by the Bank of England expect to raise prices in response to the Budget.
Mike Ashley’s Frasers lowers profit guidance following Budget December 5, 2024 The retailer expects to deliver adjusted pretax profit in the range of £550-£600m for the 2025 financial year, down from £575-625m previously.
Budget tax hikes send business confidence to two year low, survey shows December 4, 2024 S&P's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the services sector showed that business expectations for the year ahead were at their lowest level since December 2022.
Investors pile into UK equities after pre-Budget selling December 4, 2024 UK equity funds ended a 41-month streak of outflows last month as investors piled back into the market following Rachel Reeves’s tax-raiding Budget. After suffering their worst month on record before in the run up to the October fiscal plans, fund flows reversed sharply as investors poured money back into the market, with buying for [...]
Public spending to ‘boost growth’ next year, but inflation also set to spike December 4, 2024 In its latest economic outlook, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projected that growth would pick up to 1.7 per cent in 2025.
Barclays boss insists Budget has been a ‘success’ despite gloomy forecasts December 3, 2024 The chief executive of Barclays has said Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget has been a “success” so far, arguing it will likely boost economic growth in the longer term despite a raft of gloomy forecasts. Speaking at the Financial Times’ Global Banking Summit on Tuesday, CS “Venkat” Venkatakrishnan said markets for government debt suggested the Autumn [...]