Regulator’s new enforcement proposals meet with mixed reviews from experts May 9, 2023 Plans to encourage self-reporting from financial firms under investigation have received mixed reviews from regulation experts. Under proposals set out last week, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) said subjects under investigation could halve their fines by cooperating early in the investigation. The PRA said the so-called ‘early account scheme’ is designed to provide “greater clarity [...]
Booming services sector steers UK economy further away from recession May 9, 2023 Britain’s economy is running at its strongest level in nearly a year, powered by households still splashing the cash amid the cost of living crisis in another sign the country will skirt a recession. A new survey out last night from consultancy BDO revealed output growth in the UK reached its highest level in eight [...]
Bring me sunshine! Retailers hit by grim April weather as economy held back by the rain May 9, 2023 Retailers continued to be bruised by soaring inflation and poor weather conditions in April, as the sector holds out hope for summer to give a much needed boost in sales. Data by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed that while retail sales rose slightly over five per cent during the month, overall inflation meant that [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates for 12th time in a row and forecast falling inflation May 9, 2023 The Bank of England is poised to intensify the strain on households and businesses’ finances by hiking interest rates for the 12th time in a row this Thursday in a bid to bring down inflation, City analysts are betting. Threadneedle Street’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the group tasked with setting official borrowing costs in [...]
UK to officially avoid recession in first half of this year as Bank of England readies twelfth straight interest rate rise May 8, 2023 Britain is set to have officially avoided a recession in the first half of this year in a sharp turnaround in fortunes for the country’s economy, figures out this week are expected to reveal. Gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the amount of goods and services produced in the UK, is anticipated to have risen [...]
Regional US banks open higher as debate over short-selling continues May 8, 2023 Shares in regional US banks climbed on Monday morning following a chastening week last week in the aftermath of First Republic’s collapse. Some of the banks who suffered most last week saw significant gains. PacWest was trading nearly 20 per cent higher. The LA-based bank said late on Friday that it would cut its dividend [...]
AI doing the work of over 200 people at Octopus, chief executive says May 8, 2023 Octopus Energy customers are more satisfied with AI bots answering their emails than humans, the energy provider’s chief executive revealed on Monday. Writing in the Times newspaper, the energy company’s chief executive, Greg Jackson, said the technology was doing the work of 250 people by answering customer emails and had received a 80 per cent [...]
Revolut takes the fight to regulators as business secretary seeks ‘urgent’ meeting May 8, 2023 Revolut has attacked UK regulators for being “extremely bureaucratic” twice over the past few days as reports suggest government figures are attempting to soothe the fintech’s concerns. According to the Daily Telegraph, business secretary Kemi Badenoch is seeking an emergency meeting with Revolut to convince it to stay in the UK. The newspaper reported that [...]
Square Mile veteran set to chair medical cannabis company May 8, 2023 Kanabo Group, which creates medical cannabis, is set to announce on Tuesday that Ian Mattioli will become its new non-executive chairman.
UP THE JUNCTION: Why Clapham’s pubs seem to be recession-proof May 8, 2023 Few London neighbourhoods can stir up conversation like Clapham does. Known for its cringey nightclubs and spawning array of trendy coffee shops, the region has long served as a first home for junior account execs and recruiters arriving in the capital to begin their careers and get a taste of city life. It’s also got [...]
