UK headed for stagnation on worst inflation crisis in G7, IMF warns October 11, 2022 A historic hit to Brits’ living standards from roaring inflation and rising interest rates has thrown the UK economy on course to stagnation, the world’s lender of last resort warned today. The UK economy will grow a better than expected 3.6 per cent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest World Economic [...]
UK unemployment falls to 50 year-low amid jobs market exodus October 11, 2022 A sharp rise in the number of Brits dropping out of the jobs market altogether has artificially pushed the UK unemployment rate down to its lowest level since the mid 1970s, official figures published today reveal. The volume of people in the UK not looking for work climbed around 330,000 over the last three months, [...]
Brits swap pub for nights in as inflation deals heavy blow to finances October 11, 2022 Brits are responding to the cost of living crunch by ditching the pub for nights in to save money, a survey published today revealed. Consumer spending grew at the slowest rate since February 2021 over the last month, jumping 1.8 per cent over the year to September, Barclaycard said. Inflation has hovered around a 40-year [...]
£62bn of spending cuts needed to balance books, IFS forecasts October 11, 2022 Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng will need to slim the size of the state by £62bn to put the UK’s public finances on a stable footing, a top economic think tank said today. The prime minister and chancellor could be forced to reduce education and transport spending, which suffered deep cuts during the David Cameron [...]
Bank of England doubles daily bond purchase cap, but borrowing costs surge October 10, 2022 The Bank of England has rolled out a raft of measures to help shore up the UK gilt market this morning as it looks to stave off a return to turmoil when it halts its bond-buying programme on Friday.
OBR financial report and government fiscal plan to be delivered on 31 October October 10, 2022 The UK’s spending and borrowing watchdog’s assessment of the government’s tax cutting splurge will be released on 31 October, chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced today. In a letter to Tory MP and chair of the treasury select committee, Mel Stride, Kwarteng said he has decided to bring the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecasts forward from [...]
UK jobs market finally flashes cool down signals as hiring slows October 7, 2022 The UK jobs market is finally flashing slowdown signals after running hot for months after the worst of the Covid-19 crisis, a closely watched survey published today reveals. Firms are moderating hiring campaigns in response to concerns over the UK’s weakening economy and a shortage of workers. Britain is on course for a recession as [...]
Pound slumps against US dollar after Fitch sounds alarm on UK finances October 6, 2022 The pound slumped against the US dollar today while UK debt sold off after one of the world’s top credit rating agencies issued a sombre warning to investors about the country’s finances. Sterling weakened 1.55 per cent against the greenback to buy 1.115. It fell by a slightly smaller amount against the euro too. The [...]
Mini budget market turmoil partly triggered BoE emergency intervention, dep governor says October 6, 2022 Market volatility that followed chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget last month partly forced the Bank of England to step in to stabilise UK debt prices and prevent a crisis in the pensions sector, one of its top officials said today. After Kwarteng slashed taxes by £45bn and signalled a borrowing surge on Friday 23 September, [...]
Construction firms clear backlogs before downturn hits October 6, 2022 Construction firms are clearing a huge backlog of work, but the sector is on course to shrivel in the coming months as it is whacked by soaring interest rates, a closely watched survey published today. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the construction industry swung [...]