As Iceland rows back on palm oil, this is one slippery slope we should start to embrace March 31, 2022 Supermarket chain Iceland announced this week that it had no choice but to go back on a pledge to avoid using palm oil as an ingredient in its own-brand product range. Managing director Richard Walker wrote in a blog post that Iceland could no longer afford to use sunflower oil, the palm oil alternative it [...]
Saving it away for a rainy day? Now you just have to keep it there as costs spiral March 31, 2022 Over many decades, thousands of column inches have lamented the state of financial education and hours of speeches have been delivered by politicians vowing to fix it. When this hasn’t proven forthcoming, it’s fallen to bloggers and influencers to fill the education gap. Now, as we navigate the harshest cost of living crisis for generations, [...]
The City View: Chris Jackson, CEO of green hydrogen firm Protium, talks easing sustainable energy transition March 30, 2022 Today Andy Silvester chats to Chris Jackson, CEO of UK-based green hydrogen energy firm Protium. They go back to Protium’s roots; discuss what green hydrogen acutally is and how the company aims to simplify the decarbonisation process for the companies it works with; and go through why hydrogen, rather than solar and wind energy, might [...]
Avocado price skyrockets to highest in two decades as Mexican drug gangs feud March 30, 2022 The price of avocados has skyrocketed to its highest for two decades, in part due to feuding drug gangs in Mexico which is one of the main global suppliers. The cost of the crop rose after a United States safety inspector in the country was threatened, leading to an import ban from the state of [...]
Broadband startup Cuckoo calls on industry to abolish exit fees and end £1.3bn price hikes March 30, 2022 Broadband exit fees and above-inflation price rises should be scrapped as UK customers face a cost of living crisis, the CEO and founder of broadband firm Cuckoo Alex Fitzgerald has demanded.
Energy analysts welcome renewable plans but warn support for households still needed March 30, 2022 Onshore wind will provide the UK with long-term energy security but won't resolve this winter's energy crisis, according to energy experts.
Despite what we wish, there are no miracle economics Rishi can pull out of his hat March 30, 2022 The economic pressures now known as “the cost of living crisis” were at the core of the criticism of the spring statement last week. Those who once eulogised the Chancellor have now been selling their stocks of Sunak. While much of the commentary is unfair, politics is a trade in which the concept of fairness [...]
Retailers lead the way in London after industrials give up gains March 29, 2022 High street retailers lifted London’s top indexes today despite a sharp drop in oil prices prompting investors to ditch industrial giants. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index climbed 0.86 per cent to reach 7,537.25 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index surged two per cent to 21,491.97 points. Traders are seemingly upbeat about the [...]
The City View: Consumers borrowing more, and Victoria Scholar on $15bn Barclays blunder March 29, 2022 Today Andy Silvester chats to Interactive Investor’s Victoria Scholar. They go through Barclays’ rough start to the week after an unknown investor sold over £900m worth of shares in the bank following its $15bn securities blunder; Waitrose’s legal row with ASDA, and consumers turning to discount retailers amid the cost-of-living crisis; and Tesla’s stock split. [...]
Good Energy boss warns renewable ramp up will not ease this year’s cost of living crisis March 29, 2022 Profits and gross margins at renewable specialists Good Energy have taken a hit from the crisis, but its asset sale has steadied the ship.