Beazley delivers best combined ratio since 2015 despite profit decrease July 22, 2022 Beazley has delivered its best half-year combined ratio since 2015 despite a decrease in profit. In the six months ended 30 June, the insurance firm posted a profit before tax of £18.6m ($22.3m) – down 87 per cent on last year – while its returns on annualised equity went down by 14 per cent. Gross [...]
A post-industrial Britain has stark lessons for net zero July 22, 2022 LAST week our cities were hotter than they have ever been, and many people suffered. On average they were 3-4 degrees hotter than the surrounding countryside. Had more people commuted into workplaces, it would have been worse. But why are London and cities across the UK so hot? There are three connected explanations. First, they [...]
Truss or Sunak will need to deliver ‘shot in the arm’ of UK economy July 22, 2022 Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will need to deliver a “shot in the economic arm” of the country to lift Brits’ confidence out of the doldrums after one of them wins the Conservative leadership race, two closely watched surveys published today reveal. Scorching inflation, the highest interest rates in 13 years and tax hikes have [...]
European Central Bank marks first rate rise in over a decade with shock 50 basis point move July 21, 2022 The European Central Bank (ECB) today marked its first interest rate rise in over a decade with a shock 50 basis point move. The biggest inflation surge in the eurozone since the creation of the single currency in 1999 forced President Christine Lagarde and co to launch the bigger hike. The Continent’s monetary authority has [...]
Government’s plans for Solvency II shakeup will force insurers to hold more capital on their books, sector warns July 21, 2022 Insurers have called on the UK government to reconsider their plans to shake up the Solvency II rules that govern the country’s insurance sector, after warning the current plans could backfire. The government’s current plans to reform the European Union’s Solvency II regulations could see life insurers forced to hold more capital than they are [...]
FCA and Andrew Bailey slammed for failing to protect pension savers who were ripped off by poor advisors July 21, 2022 The City watchdog and its former head Andrew Bailey, nowadays the Bank of England’s chief, have come under fire for letting down British Steel pension savers who were ripped off by poor advice from companies they thought they could trust. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) did not protect the members of the British Steel pension [...]
Stablecoins will be regulated in the UK with wider crypto regulation to be discussed this year July 20, 2022 Stablecoins will be regulated in the UK in a major move towards crypto asset oversight, with plans to consult on wider crypto regulation later in 2022. The UK’s Financial Services and Markets Bill was presented to Parliament today and widens the UK’s approach to crypto regulation, allowing for stablecoins to be considered as a form [...]
FTSE 100 loses Wall Street bounce as banks falter July 20, 2022 A boost from a bumper day on Wall Street yesterday was not enough to help London’s FTSE 100 finish higher today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index shed 0.44 per cent to close at 7,264.31 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, added [...]
Inflation races to new 40-year high – but worst is yet to come July 20, 2022 UK inflation raced to a fresh 40-year high last month, but economists have warned the cost of living squeeze is set to get even worse. Prices surged 9.4 per cent over the year to June, the quickest acceleration since 1982 and up from an already historic level of 9.1 per cent in May, according to [...]
FTSE finance chiefs brace for recession July 20, 2022 Britain’s top finance chiefs are bracing for a recession driven by inflation crimping consumers and thinning businesses’ margins, a new survey published today reveals. Chief financial officers (CFO) at the UK’s largest listed companies think there is a 63 per cent chance of the economy swinging into reverse over the next 12 months, according to [...]