Inflation races to new 40-year high – but worst is yet to come July 20, 2022 UK inflation raced to a fresh 40-year high last month, but economists have warned the cost of living squeeze is set to get even worse. Prices surged 9.4 per cent over the year to June, the quickest acceleration since 1982 and up from an already historic level of 9.1 per cent in May, according to [...]
FTSE finance chiefs brace for recession July 20, 2022 Britain’s top finance chiefs are bracing for a recession driven by inflation crimping consumers and thinning businesses’ margins, a new survey published today reveals. Chief financial officers (CFO) at the UK’s largest listed companies think there is a 63 per cent chance of the economy swinging into reverse over the next 12 months, according to [...]
Inflation expected to soar above eye-watering 40-year highs as cost of living onslaught deepens July 19, 2022 When official figures lay bare the extent of the mounting cost-of-living crisis on tomorrow morning, UK inflation is expected to soar even further above current eye-watering 40-year highs. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will show Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rose to at least 9.3 per cent in June, up [...]
Bank of England governor Bailey puts largest rate rise since independence on table July 19, 2022 The biggest rate hike since the Bank of England was made independent 25 years ago is on the table at its next meeting on 4 August, its chief said today. Delivering his annual Mansion House bankers’ dinner speech, Andrew Bailey said “a 50 basis point increase will be among the choices on the table when [...]
Ageing society will lead to decades of weak growth, BoE official warns July 18, 2022 An ageing society will leave the UK economy permanently weaker over the coming decades, an official at the Bank of England said today. Speaking at the Resolution Foundation, Michael Saunders, an outgoing external member of the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC), warned Britain will “face increasing challenges from demographic change, because population ageing appears likely [...]
Soaring business costs trigger wave of profit warnings July 18, 2022 Swelling costs have crimped UK companies’ margins, leading to a surge in profit warnings, reveals a new report published today. The volume of profit warnings sounded by UK-listed companies climbed 66 per cent in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2021, up to 136 from 82, according to EY-Parthenon. [...]
Week ahead: More inflation woe to pile pressure on Bank of England to act July 17, 2022 Inflation bumped higher last month, reinforcing pressure on the Bank of England to motor through rate hikes, according to City analysts. London’s premier FTSE 100 index notched a poor performance last week, losing a shade over 0.5 per cent to finish at 7,159.01 points. The domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with [...]
Demand for alternative assets to rise 46 per cent over next 12 months July 13, 2022 Demand for alternative assets is set to soar by 46 per cent over the next 12 months as rising inflation sends investor interest surging. In a survey by alternative investment platform AssetTribe and market research firm Survation, 53 per cent of the 580 investors surveyed across the UK and Europe said their appetite for alternative [...]
Economic green shoots to coax Bank of England into steepest rate rise since independence July 13, 2022 Signs of green shoots in the UK economy will encourage the Bank of England to launch the steepest interest rate hike since it was made independent 25 years ago. Stronger than expected growth in May suggests the economy can absorb higher interest rates without falling into recession, known as a “soft-landing,” according to City analysts. [...]
Create investment boosting tax system to end economic malaise, CBI chief urges Tory leadership hopefuls July 13, 2022 Creating a tax system that boosts business investment to lift the UK out of its growth malaise is the only way to solve the country’s economic stagnation. That’s according to the chief of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the country’s largest business group. In an open letter to Conservative leadership candidates published today, Tony [...]