Bank of England leaves rates at record low despite expecting persistent inflation spike November 4, 2021 The Bank of England today decided to scupper a flurry of bets on interest rate hikes and leave them unchanged at a record low. Despite mounting speculation from financial markets, economists and experts, the Old Lady left interest rates at 0.1 per cent and will see through the final leg of its QE programme. The [...]
Sunak comes out fighting in defence of tax hikes and spending spree November 1, 2021 Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak has defended his decision to swell the tax burden to its highest level in decades. Responding to a grilling from fellow MPs on the Treasury Committee, Sunak said last week’s bumper budget spending spree was designed to deliver on a “bunch of commitments” the government promised to achieve. The Chancellor’s decision [...]
Five charts which explain what is going on with inflation November 1, 2021 “Output gap”, “bottlenecks”, “core inflation”, “base effects”, “second-round effects” “labour participation rate”. These are some of the key industry terms essential to understanding what’s going on with inflation. Soaring job vacancies reflect the strong economic recovery of the world’s major economies, as Covid-19 induced restrictions have been gradually eased. Shortages of materials, energy and transport [...]
Beyond GDP growth: why natural capital matters November 1, 2021 As the climate crisis accelerates, financial markets are paying more attention to risks and opportunities stemming from the energy transition, taking into consideration the risks related to fossil fuel production and consumption. While decarbonising the production mix and promoting energy efficiency is essential to fight climate change, we think that markets are underestimating the fundamental [...]
City brings forward bets on Bank of England rate hike to this week October 31, 2021 The Bank of England will hike interest rates this week to hose down runaway inflation, according to several grandee City investment banks. JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Santander have all brought their bets on when the Old Lady will increase borrowing costs to this Thursday’s rate setting meeting. The strengthening bets have been driven [...]
Climate change tech: What heat pumps could do for your home, and your wallet October 29, 2021 As the energy crisis rages on amid rising gas prices, UK householders are facing a change in the way we heat our homes to tackle climate change. Here are some answers to the key questions about one of the main technologies we could use instead of gas boilers. First, what is a heat pump? In [...]
Big Issue founder says Boris Johnson ‘owes’ him for not standing for London mayor October 29, 2021 Big Issue founder Lord Bird says Boris Johnson “owes him” for not standing for London mayor, and he is now calling in the debt from the current Prime Minister to tackle the homeless crisis. Speaking at Westminster, the campaigning independent peer told how Johnson had “jumped in the air” when he turned down a request [...]
Budget 2021: Sunak puts low tax conservatism to the sword October 28, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak will heap extra financial pain on households across the UK as he puts low tax conservatism to the sword. Sunak’s wave of spending will lay the groundwork for a permanently more punitive tax regime that will intensify the cost living crisis, leaving Brits “worse off in the short term”, the Institute for [...]
Budget: Millions of Brits to face ‘real pain’ as rising cost of living and taxes will bite October 28, 2021 Rising costs and tax increases will leave tens of millions of Brits worse off, economists said today. Their warning comes as experts are ploughing through yesterday’s Budget. Rishi Sunak had claimed his Budget is a strategy to “usher in a new age of optimism”, but a leading economic think tank warned the public “may not [...]
D-Day for Rishi Sunak: What do City insiders expect from the Autumn Budget? October 27, 2021 In today’s Autumn Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak will outline how he plans to “drive growth while keeping the public finances on a sustainable path”. City A.M. checked in with a number of Square Mile professionals this morning to see what they hope or expect the Budget will bring today. VAT Yesterday the news broke that there will [...]