Bank of England says UK’s big banks passed stress test and are ‘resilient’ to rising rates July 12, 2023 The UK’s largest lenders passed the Bank of England’s stress tests with flying colours, even as concerns grow around the health of the mortgage market. In its latest stress test, the Bank of England concluded that banks were “resilient”, enabling them to withstand persistently higher inflation and a deep global recession. “The UK banking system [...]
Shell anticipates ‘significantly lower’ gas trading as investors ‘sit on hands’ July 7, 2023 Shell said it anticipates “significantly lower” gas trading in its second quarter results, but questions remain about the energy titan’s claim it’s linked to ‘seasonality’. Ahead of their 27 July results, the firm claims its expected dip was down to “seasonality” in the market, while stressing that the performance would be “in line” with the [...]
Brits overestimate costs of making homes greener July 6, 2023 Brits vastly overestimate both the cost and time to install green upgrades in their homes, according to a new study from Barclays and Ipsos.
‘Blatant profiteering’: Bank chiefs hauled in front of FCA to discuss failure to pass on interest rates to savers July 6, 2023 Bank chiefs are meeting Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) officials on Thursday to discuss concerns surrounding interest rates for savers lagging behind the cost of mortgages. Bosses from HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds and Barclays are expected to attend. According to data from Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, the average easy access savings rate on offer on Thursday is 2.49 per cent. [...]
Challenger banks win customers on back of better savings rates than big boys July 6, 2023 More generous savings rates at challenger banks are seeing customers flock to newer players in the market, as pressure grows on big banks
Headcount at six largest UK banks ticks up for first time since pandemic July 5, 2023 The number of employees at the six largest UK banks increased slightly last year, the first increase since the pandemic. According to statistics in the Banker’s Top 1,000 World Banks report, the six largest UK lenders – HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, Standard Chartered, Natwest and Nationwide – increased their headcount by 0.6 per cent last year. [...]
Barclays, Shell and BP feel the heat as activist investors launch record green campaigns July 4, 2023 Shell, BP and Barclays have felt the wrath of activist investors this year as corporate pressure campaigns are launched in record numbers across Europe, new research shows. The number of activist campaigns in Europe has climbed each month this year to a total of 25 campaigns by May, fuelled by a spike in environmental campaigns [...]
Shapps: Labour ‘sponsored by Just Stop Oil’ in light of ‘bonkers’ fossil fuel project ban July 4, 2023 Shapps has reaffirmed his support for domestic fossil fuel projects, as approval for the largest undeveloped oil and gas field looms.
Savings rates: Big banks to meet regulator this week after ‘blatant profiteering’ claims July 4, 2023 Banks will meet with the regulator this week to discuss the savings rates on offer as pressure grows on the UK’s largest lenders to avoid so-called ‘profiteering’. Heads of the largest UK banks – including Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays and HSBC – will meet with the Financial Conduct Authority on Thursday, according to people familiar with [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index’s downbeat run extends into second half of 2023 July 3, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 kicked off the second half of the year in subdued style today, despite a rally among Britain’s largest banks and industrial giants. The capital’s premier index was up for most of the day, before eventually closing marginally lower, down 0.06 per cent to 7,527.27 points. The domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which [...]