UK’s wealth gap: Cost of living crisis boosts income of richest Brits by £1k but leaves poorest £600 a year worse off January 25, 2023 The disparity between Britain’s richest and Britain’s poorest earners has grown as a result of the cost of living crisis and a freezing in the income tax threshold, figures have revealed. The richest Brits have managed to increase their household disposable income by just over £1,000 in the last year, while the poorest are on [...]
The Notebook: Victoria Scholar on Chinese New Year, air fares and edible economics January 24, 2023 The notebook is where interesting people say interesting things. Today it’s Victoria Scholar, Head of Investment at Interactive Investor, on Chinese New Year, why air fares are on the increase and what we can learn about economics from food As the Chinese New Year begins, investors are increasingly turning their attention back to markets in [...]
Yule be happy: Christmas trading powers Primark owner’s rising revenues January 24, 2023 Food processing giant and Primark owner Associated British Foods has posted a bullish trading update, unveiling an upturn in revenues.
Why is the FTSE 100 nearing a record high with a recession looming? It ain’t the economy, stupid January 24, 2023 The FTSE 100 is becoming one massive hedge fund. That’s why it’s doing so well when all the doomsters have warned the UK is headed for a long, albeit shallow, recession over the next year. Of course, the stock market isn’t the economy. How many high street coffee shop owners do you know that worry [...]
Top Gun: Maverick and pricier tickets help Everyman cinemas post 75 per cent boom in earnings January 23, 2023 Blockbuster movie Top Gun: Maverick helped boost Everyman Media’s revenues by 62 per cent as Brits continue to embrace cinema going as an affordable luxury. The company, which has 14 of its 38 cinemas in greater London, announced its annual update to December, reporting revenue of £79.7m which is up from the previous covid-impacted year [...]
FTSE 100 close: Blue chip index ends higher as disappointing retail sales figures fail to dent JD Sports, Frasers and Burberry January 20, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 index closed the week marginally higher, clawing back some some of this year’s earlier gains following a poor performance yesterday. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.3 per cent to 7,770.59 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index rose 0.7 per cent to close at 19,702.63. JD Sports, Frasers and Burberry were [...]
Retailers blame Royal Mail strikes for Brits abandoning online shopping in the run up to Christmas January 20, 2023 Thousands of Brits appear to have abandoned online purchases following a series of strikes by Royal Mail employees, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Figures released by the ONS show that the proportion of online sales slipped by 0.5 per cent to 25.4 per cent in December. Retailers laid the blame on [...]
Recession risks return as Brits brace for cost of living crisis to make 2023 a ‘bumpy ride’ January 20, 2023 UK consumer confidence dipped for the first time in two months in January, raising the risk the economy will slip into recession after all despite a string of better than expected data recently, a closely watched survey out today reveals. A credit card debt hangover from the Christmas spending splurge and energy bills looming has [...]
Deliveroo: UK orders pass £1bn mark as takeaway giant remains upbeat about 2023 January 19, 2023 Quarterly orders on Deliveroo in the UK and Ireland passed the £1bn mark for the first time at the end of last year, the takeaway giant reported today, adding that it was confident about the year ahead despite much economic uncertainty. The food delivery company reported a seven per cent increase in gross transaction value [...]
No gravy train: Bisto-maker Premier to cut 300 jobs despite strong festive sales January 19, 2023 Leading British manufacturer Premier Foods’ grocery business has gone from strength-to-strength over the Christmas period, as it looks to close a loss-making factory costing 300 jobs. The company, the maker or famous brands including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Custard and Angel Delight, cashed in on festive purchasing despite the cost of living crisis, with sales up [...]