Bank of England’s Haskel keeps door open to negative rates October 5, 2020 Bank of England (BoE) rate-setter Jonathan Haskel sees some possible benefits from cutting interest rates below zero, though it was too soon to reach a firm conclusion on this. The BoE, which cut interest rates to a record-low 0.1% in March, is now looking at whether it is technically feasible to cut its main interest [...]
Worst September on record for new car registrations October 5, 2020 New car registration fell to their lowest level since records began in September in a further blow for the battered auto industry. Just 328,041 cars were registered last month, down 4.4 per cent lower year-on-year, new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed. That’s the weakest performance since the introduction of [...]
UK launches £238m Covid unemployment programme October 5, 2020 The government has today launched a £238m unemployment programme to provide skills and training to people who have lost their jobs during the Covid crisis. The Job Entry Targeted Support scheme will provide participants with CV and interview training, individual work coaches and “specialist advice on how people can move into growing sectors”, according to [...]
“Mind boggling” crackdown on pavement advertising slammed by City restaurateur October 2, 2020 Soren Jessen, owner and operator of City favourite 1 Lombard Street received a letter from the Corporation barring him from placing more than one pavement sign to prevent overcrowding
Shot in the arm for e-sports market as David Beckham-backed enterprise is UK’s first to float October 2, 2020 David Beckham’s e-sports company Guild Esports started trading on the London Stock Exchange today. The firm, which trades under the ticker GILD, is the first major e-sports company to go public in the UK. Guild Esports said earlier this week that its oversubscribed offering of 250m shares was priced at 8 pence per ordinary share. [...]
BoE’s Andy Haldane warns against ‘Chicken Licken’ economic pessimism September 30, 2020 The Bank of England’s chief economist said there was a risk that overly pessimistic “Chicken Licken” views about the impact of Covid-19 would hold back Britain’s economic recovery from the pandemic. In a speech given today, Andy Haldane said that authorities such as the BoE have a “public responsibility to avoid economic catastrophizing” during the [...]
City of London Police jail crime gang selling fake money, drugs and guns September 29, 2020 Several members of a major London crime gang have been jailed by City of London Police after pleading guilty to conspiring to sell fake bank notes, guns and Class A drugs. Five members of the organised crime network were handed jail sentences at Inner London Crown Court on Friday, following a three-year police investigation into [...]
UK mortgage approvals hit 13-year high in August as post-lockdown surge continues September 29, 2020 UK mortgage approvals hit a 13-year high in August as pent-up demand post-lockdown continued to boost the housing market, but consumers became more cautious about day-to-day borrowing. Mortgage approvals for the month were 84,700, according to new data from the Bank of England — the highest rate of approvals since October 2007, just before the [...]
FTSE 100 climbs as ‘relief rally’ pushes global equities higher September 28, 2020 The FTSE 100 has started the week off strong, climbing as much as 1.69 per cent amid a global “relief rally” as investors rushed to buy up shares in beaten-down sectors after last week’s sharp stock market sell-off. Blue chips HSBC and spirits-maker Diageo helped boost the British blue-chip index on Monday, which was also [...]
Britain and EU reach temporary agreement on derivatives clearing September 28, 2020 Britain and the EU have reached a temporary accord on the information-sharing arrangements needed for eurozone banks to continue to use London’s clearing houses until June 2022. Britain’s unfettered access to the bloc’s markets ends on 31 December. Brussels had already agreed to grant UK clearing houses temporary access for 18 months, but an updated [...]