FTSE 100 live: London index boosted by Shell ahead of today’s Bank of England rate decision February 2, 2023 The FTSE 100 opened higher on Thursday morning, boosted by a strong performance from Shell, as investors awaited the latest interest rate decision from the Bank of England later today. Governor Andrew Bailey is expected to increase interest rates by 50bps to a post-financial crisis high of four per cent later today, although there is [...]
Cafe Koko: New Camden Pizza restaurant review January 31, 2023 Arriving in the evening, you can see the warm orange glow of Koko before you see the building itself. Taking up an entire block, the recently renovated, 122-year-old music hall once again sits at the heart of Camden, having closed in 2020 following a fire. The £70m refurbishment includes an extensive private members’ area with [...]
Minecraft makeover: This is what Sadiq Khan looks like with a perfectly square head January 26, 2023 Have you ever wondered what London’s long-standing mayor Sadiq Khan would look like with a perfectly square head? Now you can find out for sure after he was brought to life as a character in the video game Minecraft. With his grey hair, the faintest hint of 5 o’clock shadow and those kind, slightly sleepy [...]
London motorists hit with sharpest uptick in car insurance costs as UK premiums surge January 25, 2023 Motorists are now paying £100 more for car insurance than last year, according to new research which shows premiums have increased at their sharpest rate in six years. Car insurance premiums have increased 19 per cent over the past 12 months, meaning motorists now pay average sums of £629 to insure their vehicles, Confused.com’s Car [...]
Aramco-backed halal fintech opens bank branch in London despite high street bank exodus January 24, 2023 Aramco is backing American fintech Wahed as it launches a physical bank in London. However, concerns of a high street bank exodus place question marks over the branch’s future success. Wahed’s first UK-based physical bank, which opens its doors today on Baker Street, has scored £61m ($75m) from the Saudi Arabian oil giant together with [...]
Crown Estates sues Twitter over unpaid rent of its Piccadilly Circus HQ January 24, 2023 Twitter is being sued by the Crown Estates over unpaid rent relating to its Piccadilly Circus-based headquarters building. The Crown Estates manages property for King Charles III and the monarchy, which includes the 10m sq Twitter headquarters in central London. The estate filed the claim against Twitter Inc, which is also facing legal action over [...]
Bankers switching firms trouser more than 20 per cent pay bump January 23, 2023 City bankers, brokers and insurers switching to a rival firm trousered a more than 20 per cent pay bump last year, new research out today shows. The Square Mile’s best and brightest are switching companies in a bid to capitalise on rapid wage inflation in the financial services sector. According to recruiter Morgan McKinley, the [...]
London rents ended year 11 per cent higher than start of 2022 amid ‘imbalance’ between supply and demand in crowded capital January 17, 2023 Rents at the top end of the London market ended 2022 10.9 per cent higher than when the year started, according to an estate and lettings agent. Demand from tenants is continuing to significantly outweigh supply, Savills said. Jessica Tomlinson, research analyst at Savills, said: “The ongoing imbalance between demand and supply is expected to [...]
Global business elite ready to pour cash into UK, defying recession warnings January 16, 2023 The world’s business elite are set to pump billions of pounds into the UK economy, defying experts forecasting the country is on course for its toughest recession in a century, a new report out today reveals. The proportion of more than 4,400 global chief executives in 105 countries surveyed by consultancy PwC identifying the UK [...]
London outperforms UK economy again in sign capital could swerve recession January 16, 2023 London is outperforming the nationwide economy, indicating the capital is on course to avoid what experts think will be a long recession in the UK, a new survey out today shows. An index of business output in London compiled by NatWest jumped to 50.2 last month, up from 48.2, meaning the capital’s economy is growing. [...]