FTSE 100 close: Banks regain ground amid interest rate concerns as Vodafone slumps June 26, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged into the red today, driven by Britain’s largest banks struggling amid concerns about how much higher UK interest rates will go and Vodafone tumbling. The capital’s premier index fell 0.11 per cent to 7,453.59 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of [...]
Rich Brits only group to pocket disposable income rise as inflation chokes poorest families’ finances June 26, 2023 The richest households in the UK are the only group to have undergone a living standards improvement over the last year, while poorer families are being whacked by sky high energy and food bills, according to research out today. Top earners in Britain have seen their post-bill weekly income increase 2.1 per cent over the [...]
Rishi Sunak pleads with Brits to ‘hold our nerve’ in face of sky high interest rates and inflation June 26, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the country to “hold our nerve” with sky high interest rates in order to beat down scorching inflation. Sunak today on BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme gave his full backing the Bank of England’s latest interest rate rise as Tory backbenchers slammed Governor Andrew Bailey for being “asleep [...]
British businesses struggle to source cash amid Bank of England interest rate hikes June 26, 2023 British businesses are struggling to source cash to fuel growth as lenders retrench from the credit market after the Bank of England’s 13 straight interest rate rises, new research out last night showed. Just over nine in 10 mid-sized companies are running into roadblocks when trying to secure financing, prompting them to shelve expansion plans, [...]
Roaring mortgage rates to keep a lid on housing demand as City eyes Bailey and Pill remarks June 26, 2023 Roaring mortgage rates in response to markets betting the Bank of England will have to send official borrowing costs to over six per cent are poised to have kept a lid on housing demand. Fresh figures out this Thursday from the Bank of England are expected to show the volume of mortgages approved in May [...]
Bank of England and others may have to keep rates ‘higher for longer’ to crush inflation June 25, 2023 The Bank of England and the rest of the world’s top monetary authorities’ fight against roaring inflation “is not yet done,” one of the globe’s leading economic institutions has warned. In its annual analysis on the state of the world economy released today, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), often referred to as the “central [...]
Ex Asda boss: Cutting prices for cash-strapped Brits is ‘very important’ after Sunuk plea June 23, 2023 Supermarkets regard cutting prices as “very important”, according to a former boss of Asda, after the Prime Minister warned retailers about pricing “responsibly and fairly”. Andy Clarke, who served as Asda’s chief executive officer between 2010 and 2016, said the big chains were “heavily focused” on competitive pricing as the industry hit back over suggestions [...]
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to meet lenders as mortgage crisis worsens June 23, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will ask banks if they can do more to support struggling households after a shock interest rate hike deepened the mortgage crisis. He is meeting large lenders including HSBC and Santander in Downing Street this morning as the government comes under pressure to relieve the pain. Prime minister Rishi Sunak and Hunt [...]
It was do or die for Andrew Bailey and the Bank of England – in the end, there was no choice June 23, 2023 When it came down to it, there was no choice. Inflation stuck at just below nine per cent. Unforgiving buried price pressures. Businesses rebuilding profits. Workers with no choice but to demand more money. These are the characteristics of an economy stuck in stagflation. The Bank of England had to take drastic measures. Yesterday’s interest [...]
Bank of England hikes interest rates by 50 points to five per cent after inflation shock June 22, 2023 The Bank of England today reverted to steeper interest rate rises in a sign that embattled Governor Andrew Bailey and co have been spooked by much tougher than feared inflation. Bailey and the rest of the monetary policy committee (MPC) – the nine-strong group who set official interest rates in Britain – backed a 50 [...]