IMF warns inflation is a ‘clear and present danger’ and is here to stay May 24, 2022 IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath has said that inflation “will remain significantly above central bank targets for a while.” She added: “It is very important for central bankers around the world to deal with inflation as a clear and present danger, that is something they need to deal with in a very forceful [...]
Recession concerns vie with inflation risk for investors in unpredictable market week ahead May 23, 2022 It was aother week of declines for US markets on Friday, with the S&P500 closing lower for the seventh week in succession, making a fresh 18 month low, and briefly retracing 50 per cent of the move from its 2020 lows to its record highs late last year. The Nasdaq 100 similarly pulled off new [...]
Sunak poised to give poorest households £5-7.5bn to deal with cost-of-living crunch, Deutsche Bank says May 22, 2022 Deutsche Bank has said it expects the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will give £5-7.5bn in support to the UK’s poorest households to help them deal with the UK’s cost-of-living crisis. The chancellor could increase universal credit payments, give money to food banks, and help poor households pay for energy bills, in a [...]
Bank of England hints further interest rates are coming soon to bring down highest inflation in four decades May 20, 2022 As the British economy is hit by high levels of inflation, the Bank of England’s chief economist said today interest rates might need to rise further in the near future. Huw Pill said the 9 per cent inflation rate – the highest in 40 years – is a “very uncomfortable situation” for decision-makers at the [...]
Policing minister and BRC say ignore call for ‘discretion’ prosecuting shoplifters May 19, 2022 The policing minister has urged officers not to let people off the hook if they steal food in order to feed their families amid a cost of living crisis. Kit Malthouse hit out at the “old-fashioned” thinking put forward by Andy Cooke, the new chief of HM Inspector of Constabulary, who said police should use [...]
Enough is enough: Employers are running out of steam on ability to hike pay or make well-paid job offers May 16, 2022 Close to half of UK employers report having vacancies that are hard-to-fill, and almost two thirds anticipate problems filling vacancies in the next six months. The most common response made in the past six months by employers with hard-to-fill vacancies has been to increase pay, according to new research from CIPD, the professional body for [...]
Tory MP claims food bank users ‘cannot cook or budget properly’ and meals cost 30p a day May 11, 2022 A Conservative MP has sparked anger after saying poorer people rely on food banks because they “cannot cook properly”, and that meals can be cooked “for around 30p”. Lee Anderson told the Commons those who want to register for help must sign up for a “budgeting course and a cooking course.” When asked by [...]
Jacob Rees-Mogg: Sure, the cost of living crisis is ‘difficult’ but the government cannot just spend its way out it May 9, 2022 Senior Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg said hard-pressed households are facing a “difficult” future as inflation rises but he warned the Government cannot spend its way out of the problem. The Brexit Opportunities Minister said increasing public spending to mitigate the impacts of the rising cost of living risked adding to inflation, pushing prices higher. The squeeze [...]
Rail fares could soar by 12 per cent amid inflationary spikes May 5, 2022 Railway users could soon enough see the price of their tickets soar as a result of inflation spiking to 7 per cent and not showing any sign of easing. Economists argued fares could go up as high as 12 per cent from next year if the government doesn’t untie the increase in inflation rates and [...]
Ex Bank of England governor Mark Carney says climate crisis will ‘dwarf’ economic problems May 5, 2022 Following the Bank of England’s decision to raise interest rates, its former government has said the climate crisis will “dwarf” current economic hardship. Mark Carney, who is now as special envoy for climate action with the United Nations, called on the government to move away from polluting fossil fuels. He said the move away from [...]