‘Important we enguard against doing too much’ with rate rises, Bank of England’s top economist Pill warns February 3, 2023 The chief economist of the Bank of England has cautioned that it is important the Bank does not raise borrowing costs too high. Huw Pill’s warning came a day after the central bank hiked interest rates by 0.5 percentage points to 4% but indicated it could slow down recent rate-hiking activity. He told Times Radio [...]
NatWest boss U-turns on snub of Westminster committee after plea to ensure it won’t be an all-male panel February 3, 2023 The boss of NatWest has U-turned on her decision not to appear in front of MPs next week as they scrutinise the UK’s biggest banks on why savings rates are so low while borrowing costs have spiked. Dame Alison Rose, NatWest’s chief executive, came under pressure from the Treasury Committee after saying she was too [...]
The UK’s biggest mining and energy businesses may need to wean themselves off China February 3, 2023 In this guest opinion piece, Daniel Dalton, former Conservative MEP and former CEO, British Chamber of Commerce to the EU, writes that Britain’s firms need to deal with China with their eyes wide open Encouraged by successive governments, British companies have spent many years courting China, its resources and its huge, increasingly affluent population. British [...]
Train strikes today: How will lines servicing London be affected by Friday’s walk-outs – and is there any end in sight? February 3, 2023 Britain’s train services are being hit by strike action again on Friday, but the capital will remain largely unaffected – as long as you don’t have to commute in or out of London. Who is striking and why? Train driver members of Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) unions are walking out in [...]
Oil set for second week of losses as investors await Chinese rebound in demand February 3, 2023 Oil is on course for a second straight week of losses, with investors hoping for clearer signs of fuel demand recovering in China.
More Covid restrictions lifted: China and Hong Kong scrap need for PCR test to travel between authorities February 3, 2023 Travel between Hong Kong and China will no longer require Covid PCR tests or be limited, authorities have announced. Hong Kong’s tourism industry has suffered since 2019 after months of political strife that at times turned into violent clashes between protesters and police, as well as harsh entry restrictions implemented during the pandemic. “From Monday, [...]
Apple’s first reported revenue drop in four years adds to tech woes with Google also reporting a decline in sales February 3, 2023 Apple posted its first quarterly revenue drop in nearly four years after pandemic-driven restrictions on its China factories curtailed sales of the latest iPhone . The company’s sales of $117bn (£96bn) between October and December period were down five per cent on the same quarter the previous year, a deeper downturn than analysts had projected. [...]
UK faces ongoing recruitment crisis with more childcare and training needed – British Chambers of Commerce February 3, 2023 The Government is being urged to help firms recruit workers after research showed employers are facing huge problems attracting staff. Four out of five of 5,600 businesses surveyed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said they had problems recruiting workers in recent months. Hospitality firms were most likely to face challenges when recruiting, followed [...]
London’s litigation financiers primed to profit on global downturn, Therium chief says February 3, 2023 London’s litigation funders are in a prime position to capitalise on the global economic downturn, the founder of one the UK’s top lawsuit financiers told City A.M. The economic slump threatens to stretch in-house legal budgets and drive an uptick in legal battles, Therium founder Neil Purslow said, which could force companies and litigants turn [...]
UK risks exodus of semiconductor firms without an industry strategy, MPs warn February 3, 2023 The government risks endangering the semiconductor industry unless it urgently publishes a strategy for the sector, warned a body of MPs.
