Inflation sliding and tough Bank of England means the pound will see better days April 18, 2023 “Hope is not a strategy,” Jordan Rochester, a wonk at Japanese investment bank Nomura, said last September, referring to politicians’ attempts to revive the pound after it plummeted to its lowest level ever against the US dollar following Liz Truss’s tax cutting mini budget. A lot has changed since then. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt raised taxes [...]
Bank of England to shun interest rate hike for first time since November 2021 next month April 18, 2023 The Bank of England will keep interest rates unchanged at its next meeting on 11 May, marking the first time the central bank has not hiked borrowing costs since November 2021, a new survey out yesterday predicted. According to a survey by Bloomberg, more than half of City economists suspect Governor Andrew Bailey and the [...]
FTSE finance chiefs ditch UK recession bets as confidence rebounds sharply April 17, 2023 Money managers at Britain’s biggest companies have signalled a sharp increase in confidence in the UK economy, a closely watched survey out today shows, in a further sign the country is on course to dodge a recession. Chief financial officers of top UK corporates notched a net positive 25 per cent confidence rating in Deloitte’s [...]
Bank of England won’t cut interest rates until Christmas but UK to avoid recession April 17, 2023 The Bank of England is poised to cut interest rates at Christmas, lured into the decision by inflation falling rapidly over the course of this year, new forecasts that also say the UK will dodge a recession out today claim. Governor Andrew Bailey and his team of economists are tipped to launch the first rate [...]
Britain still at risk of ‘mild recession’ despite better than feared start to year, Lloyds Bank chief predicts April 16, 2023 Britain could still suffer “a mild recession” despite the economy performing much better than experts warned at the turn of the year, the head of Lloyds Bank, the country’s largest mortgage lender, has said. Charlie Nunn, chief executive of Lloyds Bank, told The Sunday Times that there is a “more positive outlook” about the UK [...]
UK inflation poised to slip out of the double digits for first time since last summer April 16, 2023 UK inflation is poised to slip out of the double digits for the first time since last summer in what could be the beginning of the cost of living crisis gradually releasing its grip on families over the rest of the year. Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday are expected [...]
Brits warned of ‘Coronation inflation’ DOUBLING holiday let prices over the long weekend April 14, 2023 Thousands of tourists are expected to flock to London for May’s Coronation, prompting warnings of sky-high hotel and hospitality prices. Data published today by the rental management platform Guestready shows that the price of holiday lets for the coronation period has risen by 67 per cent year on year. Guestready’s analysis found that the average [...]
Unemployment must be higher to keep a lid on inflation, Bank of England’s Huw Pill claims April 13, 2023 A greater proportion of the UK population than before the recent series of economic shocks may need to be unemployed in order to keep a lid on inflation, the Bank of England’s chief economist has claimed today. Huw Pill, who succeeded Andy Haldane as the Bank’s top wonk, was speaking at an event hosted by [...]
UK economy stalls in February but is just about on track to dodge recession in early 2023 April 13, 2023 Britain is just about on track to dodge a recession in the first half of this year, defying gloomy predictions from experts heading into 2023 that the economy would suffer the largest slump in recent memory, figures out today show. Gross domestic product (GDP) – which measures the value of all goods and services produced [...]
Tesco hit by inflation and supermarket war with Aldi and Lidl as profit down almost seven per cent April 13, 2023 Tesco, Britain’s biggest supermarket, was hit hard by consumers tightening their belts during the cost of living crisis, as it reported its operating profit was down almost seven per cent on last year. The London-listed chain said its profit was £2,6bn for the year to the end of February which was down 6.9 per cent [...]