UK living standards to drop at steepest rate since WW2 on Moscow energy supply fears March 1, 2022 The surge in energy prices triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict will drive inflation beyond eight per cent, generating the worst squeeze on household living standards since the second world war. Sustained elevated prices for oil and gas will heap an additional 1.5 percentage points on to the cost of living, resulting in a 2.2 per [...]
Mortgage approvals highest since the summer as cost of living crunch looms March 1, 2022 Mortgage approvals for house purchases lifted in January, in another monthly boost for the housing market. Figures released from the Bank of England on Tuesday morning show some 73,922 mortgage approvals during last month. This is the highest approval number since July 2021, when 75,900 mortgages were given the green light. It also represents the [...]
Households hunker down finances as they brace for worsening cost of living crunch March 1, 2022 Households are hunkering down their finances in preparation for the cost of living crunch to tighten, reveals official data published today. Brits cut back on spending last month and channeled money into their savings accounts to offset a future deterioration in their budgets caused by soaring inflation. Households added £7.8bn to their savings accounts last [...]
London small business investment surges past £10bn in 2021 March 1, 2022 Equity investment in to London’s smaller firms surged past £10bn in the first three quarter of 2021 as investors looked to capitalise on the economic recovery of businesses in the capital, fresh data has revealed.
Britain and Ukraine are tied together by our independent tech industries March 1, 2022 AS RUSSIA launched an illegal war of aggression in eastern Europe, Ukraine may still feel quite far away from the UK, even though it is in Europe. Cities like Mariupol and Kharkiv are foreign to most Britons. Crimea is best known to most from a 200 year old poem. When Vladimir Putin talks of Ukraine [...]
Reforming fiscal regime is no taxing issue March 1, 2022 Amid the surplus of analysis devoted to improving the UK tax system, debate over whether the government’s current and future level of spending sometimes slips by. With interest rates expected to climb as the Bank of England leans even further into hawkish policy and inflation already hitting near 30-year highs, the cost of borrowing will [...]
Russia’s economy plunges into chaos as Western sanctions bite February 28, 2022 Russia’s economy has been plunged into chaos after Western sanctions triggered a collapse in the country’s currency today. The value of the rouble tumbled as much as 30 per cent against the dollar today, dropping to its lowest ever level against the global currency benchmark. The sharp and sudden weakening in the rouble prompted Russia’s [...]
Brits’ inflation expectations climb to record high piling pressure on BoE to launch more rate hikes February 28, 2022 Britons’ expectations for inflation in a decade’s time is running at a joint record high, heaping further pressure on the Bank of England to continue its rate hike cycle. Households think the cost of living will land at 4.1 per cent in ten years’ time, up from 3.8 per cent last month, the joint highest [...]
Ukraine crisis: what does it mean for asset allocation? February 28, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is having devastating human consequences, has increased the risk of a stagflation environment – one of slowing economic growth but high inflation. How should investors prepare for this possible scenario? Our analysis reveals which asset classes are likely to outperform if it comes to pass. Our live blog on the Ukraine crisis [...]
UK inflation to trend higher as firms hoist prices amid cost barrage February 28, 2022 Inflation will trend even higher in the coming months driven by UK businesses lifting prices to cope with intensifying wage pressures, reveals a fresh survey published today. Nearly half of firms are expecting to hike pay at least one per cent over the coming year, leading to them raising prices to protect margins, according to [...]