Ex Fed chair Ben Bernanke to lead review into Bank of England forecasting July 28, 2023 Ben Bernanke, ex-chair of the Federal Reserve, has been appointed to lead a review into the Bank of England’s forecasting during times of significant uncertainty. The review aims to strengthen the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) approach to forecasting during times of uncertainty, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bernanke, a Nobel prize winning economist [...]
Insolvencies hit highest level since 2009 as firms feel pressure from rates and inflation July 28, 2023 The number of company insolvencies in the second quarter hit its highest level since 2009, new figures showed, as firms struggled with a cocktail of rising costs and a tightening lending environment. In the three months to June 2023, there were 5,240 seasonally adjusted registered company insolvencies, nine per cent higher than last quarter and [...]
Rightmove reports highest first-half revenue since 2018 despite mortgage market woes July 28, 2023 Online real estate company Rightmove clocked up its highest first-half revenue since 2018, it revealed on Friday, despite a troubled mortgage market putting pressure on house prices. The business said revenue was up 10% to £179.5 million in the six months to the end of June. Pre-tax profit rose 7.5% to £130 million. “The strength [...]
Rising mortgage rates sends demand for homes down 18 per cent, new data shows July 28, 2023 Rising mortgage rates has reduced demand for homes by 18 per cent, Zoopla’s latest House Price Index revealed today. This weaker demand, coupled with rising supply, saw UK house price growth shrink to 0.6 per cent for June, down from 9.6 per cent for the same month last year. The estate agent said it expects [...]
Weird Barbie should provide some unlikely inspiration for the Bank of England July 28, 2023 Weird Barbie would break up the groupthink of the Bank of England economists.
Premier League ticket fraud on rise and social media should do more, says Lloyds July 28, 2023 Lloyds Bank have called on social media companies to do more to tackle ticket fraud ahead of the Premier League season. Football’s biggest domestic league returns in two weeks but scams are on the rise, with the banking giant stating that victims are losing, on average, £154 to criminals. Fraud is the most common crime [...]
Nationwide and TSB join HSBC in reducing rates on mortgage deals July 27, 2023 Nationwide and TSB joined HSBC in reducing rates on a range of mortgage products today, as rates on mortgages continued to come down after last week’s inflation reading. Nationwide announced that it would be reducing fixed rates by up to 0.35 per cent while it would reduce rates available on its tracker products by 0.2 [...]
European Central Bank hoists interest rates to joint record high of 3.75 per cent July 27, 2023 The European Central Bank (ECB) today lifted interest rates for the ninth time in a row, following the US Federal Reserve’s rise last night. It means the eurozone’s key interest rate now stands at 3.75 per cent, its highest level in 22 years. President Christine Lagarde and the rest of the governing council opted for [...]
The Square Mile and Me: Prospective alderman Marcus Fincham takes a stroll down memory lane July 27, 2023 We dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good: this week, Marcus Fincham, prospective City alderman, reveals his top spots, favourite memories and career highlights. What was your first job? Working in a kennels – it was great fun feeding the dogs, but less fun cleaning up after them. What was your [...]
TSB Bank profits up 45 per cent on rising rates as impairment charges soar too July 27, 2023 TSB Bank’s profits were lifted by rising interest rates, but the bank flagged challenges ahead as impairment charges soared by 54 per cent on last year. In the first half of the year pretax profit climbed 45 per cent to £147.9m, up from £102.9m in the same period last year. The lender noted this was [...]