Exclusive: FTSE plots development of digital asset index in crypto push December 6, 2021 The company behind the FTSE 100 is set to develop a crypto index which it says will “sit alongside” the benchmark equities.
Severity of Omicron to determine UK economy’s fate, analysts warn December 6, 2021 The severity of the Omicron variant will determine the strength of the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic over the coming year, according to City economists. The British economy could reach its pre-pandemic size by the third quarter of next year if the new strain of coronavirus proves to be less deadly than first thought, [...]
Bank of England to look through Omicron and hike rates this month December 2, 2021 The Bank of England will plough ahead and hike interest rates for the first time three years this month despite concerns the Omicron variant could whack the UK economy, according to City analysts. Strong booster jab take up and high levels of existing immunity stemming from the successful vaccination programme has put the British economy [...]
Is the “Santa Rally” real? December 2, 2021 Investors found their festive spirits in 2020 despite a raging pandemic. Even with most of the global economy shut due to Covid-19, US stocks recorded their best December monthly return in over a decade, with the Ibbotson SBBI US Large Cap index returning 3.8%. It was the second year in succession that US stocks have [...]
Dogger Bank C: World’s largest offshore wind farm passes last milestone before £9bn construction December 2, 2021 Joint venture partners SSE Renewables and Equinor said this morning that they have reached financial close on Dogger Bank Wind Farm C, the third phase of what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when complete in March 2026. SSE Renewables and Equinor have started constructing the first two phases of the 3.6GW Dogger [...]
Open the floodgates: Britain’s planning reform needs to defend our homes December 2, 2021 Brits have been told to brace for flooding with an exceptionally wet January and February forecast by the Environment Agency. In England, there are 5 million properties – one in six – at risk of flooding. Overflows are a complex issue encompassing planning and resilience, climate change and housing. But it is not one taken [...]
UK factories stung by ‘relentless’ cost hikes as supply chain crisis rumbles on December 1, 2021 UK factories are being stung by record cost increases as the supply chain crisis continues to drag on, according to a closely watched survey released today. Prices for raw materials and crucial inputs used by British manufacturers accelerated at the fastest pace since IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) started [...]
‘Cash machine at the till’ for withdrawals up to £50 coming to thousands of shops across the UK December 1, 2021 People can soon withdraw up to £50 in notes and coins in smaller shops without having to buy anything. A scheme enabling people to get cash from retailers’ tills without needing to make a purchase is to be rolled out to more than 2,000 shops before the end of the year. Cash machine network Link [...]
Unchallenged inflation will make strike action the norm in a new labour market December 1, 2021 Last Friday, London once again muddled through the inconvenience of yet another Tube strike. Another one is planned for the middle of December. They are just as much a feature of the metropolitan scene as Big Ben. Until more of the trains are automated, Tube staff will retain the capacity to cause disruption. But this [...]
US Fed chief Powell retires word ‘transitory’ to describe inflation December 1, 2021 US Fed Chief Jerome Powell said inflation would stick around for longer than hoped yesterday as a glut of global data suggested rising prices could slow the global recovery. Powell said yesterday it was time to “retire” the word “transitory” to describe the rapid pace of price hikes currently spiking the world economy. His shift [...]