How will the bond markets react to the Budget? October 30, 2024 For all the government’s promises of stability and hoped-for reductions in interest rates, UK yields on government bonds are now, in fact, very similar to the levels to which they rose under the ill-fated Truss government, says Paul Ormerod There has been a huge amount of speculation about the Budget. Later today we will of [...]
Budget 2024: No10 claim Hunt trying to ‘blame referee’ as OBR row heats up October 29, 2024 Jeremy Hunt is trying to “blame the referee” amid a row over an OBR review into the previous government’s departmental spending plans, No10 has claimed. The former Chancellor has criticised the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) for choosing to publish its findings as to whether it was given adequate financial information from Conservative ministers ahead [...]
Bosses scramble to sell shares amid fears of Budget capital gains tax raid October 29, 2024 UK executives have been “racing to sell shares” at a record rate as fears mount that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will raise capital gains tax at tomorrow’s Budget. Last week, directors sold £29.8m of their companies shares, while only buying £4.1m, leaving a net £25.7m of stocks sold. Meanwhile, over the last month, investors have sold [...]
Autumn Budget 2024: Minimum wage set for above inflation hike October 29, 2024 Firms could be set to face higher payroll costs as the minimum wage is reportedly set to increase by more than six per cent at Wednesday’s Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce an above inflation raise that is higher than was predicted last month, according to the Times newspaper. It will result in [...]
Business will be looking at where taxes are going, not just where they are October 29, 2024 Tomorrow’s Budget announcements will capture immediate attention, but it’s the tax roadmap that could have the most enduring impact, says Chris Sanger The government’s decision to publish a corporate tax roadmap in this week’s Budget is intended to strengthen the UK’s economic foundations and attractiveness as a destination for capital. This move comes at a [...]
How retail investors are bracing for a Rachel Reeves tax raid October 29, 2024 Fear among retail investors is building in the face of this week’s Budget, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ rumoured changes to capital gains tax and inheritance tax hanging over the heads of individual stockpickers. While capital gains tax currently sits at 20 per cent, speculation has spread that it could be hiked when the government lays [...]
Rachel Reeves puts £240m into new back to work ‘trailblazers’ October 29, 2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced a £240m funding boost for the rollout of local services tasked with getting the long-term sick back into work. Ahead of the Budget, Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that tackling rising economic inactivity would be a core economic priority for his government. “We will always help those who cannot support [...]
Rachel Reeves needs to be able to sell her borrowing to the market October 29, 2024 The first female Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, fears following in the footsteps of the last female Prime Minister in her Autumn Budget statement. The Gilt market sell-off in the wake of the Truss/Kwarteng fiscal event two years ago didn’t just cast a huge shadow over the Conservative Party; it reminded all politicians that financial markets can [...]
This will-we, won’t-we budget is causing economic harm October 29, 2024 Watching the will-we, won’t-we budget commentary unfold over the past few months has been painful and has caused significant uncertainty across the market. Not to mention that delaying the budget to October following the July election was a misstep, it has resulted in drawn-out public scrutiny of the multitude of possible tax changes on the [...]
Labour’s national insurance hike could cost workers hundreds October 28, 2024 HMRC's projections suggest that a two percentage point hike to employers' national insurance would raise £18bn.