City brings forward bets on Bank of England rate hike to this week October 31, 2021 The Bank of England will hike interest rates this week to hose down runaway inflation, according to several grandee City investment banks. JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Santander have all brought their bets on when the Old Lady will increase borrowing costs to this Thursday’s rate setting meeting. The strengthening bets have been driven [...]
Prosecutions of company directors jump by 205 per cent as crackdown on Covid fraud begins October 29, 2021 The number of company directors convicted of criminal activity during the pandemic has risen 205 per cent to 122 in the year to 30 September, up from just 40 for the same period to 30 September of last year. This trend is set to continue as the Insolvency Service takes an increasingly tough stance on [...]
Brits splurge on credit cards at fastest pace in over a year October 29, 2021 Brits picked up their credit cards once again and splashed the cash last month as the summer drew to a close. Consumers spent an additional £600m on credit cards in September, the highest amount since July last year, according to the Bank of England. More to follow.
Millions face swelling mortgage bill as lenders brace for rate hike October 29, 2021 Households across the UK face swelling mortgage costs on top of higher tax bills and an increasing cost of living. Several of Britain’s big players in the mortgage market lifted interest rates on their products immediately after the budget this week in anticipation of a looming rate hike from the Bank of England. HSBC, Barclays [...]
Bank of England mulls regulatory shake up to manage climate risks October 28, 2021 The Bank of England has taken a step closer to imposing stricter rules on banks to ensure they step up their preparedness for climate change. The Old Lady’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) said today it is mulling a shake up of capital buffer structures to manage the potential risks of global warming. It will publish [...]
Budget: Brits face flat recovery for household living standards, Sunak warned October 28, 2021 The average household could see their tax rise by thousands of pounds during Boris Johnson’s premiership, a think tank has warned, as Rishi Sunak’s Budget has the country set for a flat recovery for living standards. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said the Budget would leave the overall tax burden at its highest since [...]
Budget 2021: Government to review further changes to pension schemes charge cap October 27, 2021 As part of his Autumn budget reveal today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the government will further review the pension schemes charge gap, as a way to encourage schemes to invest in high-growth UK businesses. Under the plans announced today, the government will consider options to amend the scope of the charge cap so that [...]
Budget 2021: Sunak commits £46bn to railways October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a further £46bn on rail investment at this year’s Budget. The money is focused predominantly on boosting connectivity across the country. The Autumn Budget and Spending Review includes £35bn directly for railway connectivity over the next three years. It is also committing £5.7bn over five years in eight city regions [...]
Budget 2021: Fiscal watchdog ramps up forecast for UK economic growth to 6.5 per cent October 27, 2021 The government’s fiscal watchdog has ramped up its forecast for the UK economy and expects it to recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. Chancellor Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons today, as he delivered his third budget, that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects the British economy to expand [...]
How’s vaccine inequality driving up global inflation? October 27, 2021 As the more highly vaccinated countries roll out Covid booster shots, other parts of the world are still struggling to get their first jab. The vaccine divide is more apparent in the emerging markets (EM). World organisations have voiced their concerns over “vaccine nationalism” whereby vaccine-exporting countries prioritise supply first for their own populations before [...]