Brits’ living standards drop at quickest pace in over a decade June 14, 2022 Brits’ living standards are falling at the fastest pace in over a decade caused by historically high inflation outstripping pay, reveals official figures published today. Take home pay, accounting for price rises, dropped 2.2 per cent over the three months to April, the steepest fall since 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
What it’s actually like in Qatar ahead of the World Cup 2022 June 14, 2022 Before I touched down in Qatar, I assumed it was a nation of falconry, beauty pageants for camels, and endless amounts of money. Save for a sprinkling of snazzy, FIFA-approved stadiums, little suggests Qatar plays football. When I arrive I see no goal posts in parks, locals playing, or even “No Ball Games” signs like [...]
Inflation and recession concoction sends global markets into the mire June 13, 2022 Mounting fears over the worst inflation crunch in recent history plunging the global economy into reverse sent the world’s biggest stock markets spiralling today. London’s FTSE 100 index slid 1.53 per cent, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, shed 2.61 per cent. Investors have [...]
Lloyds Bank to pay staff extra £1,000 each to deal with UK’s cost-of-living crisis June 13, 2022 Lloyds Bank is set to pay £1,000 bonuses to the vast majority of its UK staff to help them deal with the cost-of-living crisis. The UK’s biggest retail bank is set to give one-off, £1,000 bonuses to more than 64,000 of its rank-and-file staff, according to an internal memo seen by City A.M. The bank [...]
Unexpected economic reversal indicates UK is ‘perilously close to a recession’ June 13, 2022 An unexpected reversal in the UK economy indicates the country is “perilously close to a recession,” according to City economists. Gross domestic product (GDP) in the UK fell 0.3 per cent in April, marking the second month in a row the economy has shrunk, according to figures published today by the Office for National Statistics [...]
Andrew Bailey to face MPs over British Steel pensions scandal with former FCA boss under fire June 13, 2022 BANK of England governor Andrew Bailey will face MPs later today as he faces questions over his then-role at the top of the financial watchdog during the British Steel pension scheme. When Tata Steel — British Steel’s owner — was in financial difficulty in 2017, The Pensions Regulator allowed staff to transfer their pensions out [...]
SSE warns Sunak against expanding windfall tax to electricity generators June 12, 2022 SSE chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies has warned the Chancellor Rishi Sunak against extending the windfall tax to electricity generators.
Bank of England splurges £200,000 on defining mission statement June 12, 2022 The Bank of England has splurged more than £200,000 on consultants to define its mission statement as it looks to tempt in talent and regain confidence amid a wave of criticism over its handling of soaring inflation
More Brits than ever dissatisfied with Bank of England’s performance June 11, 2022 More people in the UK than ever are dissatisfied with the Bank of England’s efforts to tame the cost of living, a closely watched survey published today reveals. Just one in four Brits are happy with governor Andrew Bailey and co’s performance, the weakest level since records began in 1999, according to data from pollsters [...]
US inflation smashes expectations in sign Fed will waive through further steep rate hikes June 10, 2022 US inflation has smashed expectations in a sign the Federal Reserve will waive through a series of steep and rapid rate hikes to prevent high prices from embedding in the American economy. Prices climbed 8.6 per cent over the last year, higher than Wall Street’s forecasts of 8.3 per cent, according to fresh figures published [...]