US Federal Reserve achieving soft landing will be challenging but doable May 10, 2022 Hiking interest rates to tame a 40-year high inflation spike without throwing the US economy off course will be difficult, but doable, a top stateside rate setter said today. “The ongoing pandemic and war in Ukraine bring a tremendous amount of complexity and uncertainty” to the trajectory of prices, John Williams, president of the New [...]
US-UK trade deal ‘never going to happen’, warns former Bank of England bigwig as he says high inflation is down to Brexit May 10, 2022 Most of the UK’s inflation is a direct result of Brexit, according to a former heavyweight at the Bank of England. Former BoE policymaker Adam Posen, said that around 80 per cent of the reason why the IMF expects UK’s inflation to remain high is directly linked to Britain’s departure from the EU. The economist, [...]
British Gas profits and Heathrow’s growth keeps FTSE 100 stable May 10, 2022 A strong April for Heathrow and British Gas’s owner Centrica expecting higher profits has helped the FTSE 100 remain steady, up 0.8 per cent at the open this morning. London rose 63 points despite fears about rising inflation, as the UK’s biggest airport lifted its forecast for passenger growth after a spike in travel over [...]
Brits hold back on buying sofas and fridges as cost of living climbs May 10, 2022 Brits have held back on buying big ticket items, such as furniture, as living costs spiral. Retail sales in the UK fell on a like-for-like basis by 1.7 per cent last month, compared to April 2021. Sales growth went into decline for the first time in 15 months as retailers face a balancing act between [...]
FCA warns of buy now pay later usage amid cost of living crunch May 10, 2022 Consumer groups have sounded the alarm over buy-now pay-later and credit usage as fresh data reveals Brits are turning to the products to buy essentials and ease the pain of a cost of living crunch.
The City View: Analysing the G7 plan to phase out Russian oil May 9, 2022 Today Andy Silvester talks to City A.M. reporters Nicholas Earl and Leah Montebello. They go through the G7’s decision to phase out Russian oil, historically elevated gas prices, unpick Snapchat owner Snap Inc.’s plan to compete with the likes of TikTok, and break down Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s recent letter to employees. And in the [...]
Bank of England hikes rates four times in a row for first time since independence May 5, 2022 The Bank of England today hiked interest rates for the fourth meeting in a row for the first time since it was given control of monetary policy 25 years ago. The move was driven by rate setters focusing on taming the worst inflation crunch in the UK for three decades despite them expecting growth to [...]
Slice of VAT: Domino’s Pizza’s UK sales drop as budgets tighten May 5, 2022 Domino's reported VAT hikes taking a slice of the pizza this morning, with UK & Ireland system sales down 1.5 per cent in the first quarter to £365.9m.
Supermarket sales slow over Easter as Brits start to cut back on grocery purchases May 4, 2022 Supermarket sales slowed last month as spending habits returned to normal after pandemic restrictions. Households are tightening their purse strings after the first tranche of higher bills hit budgets this spring while spending habits are also normalising after the easing of lockdown restrictions. Shoppers added slightly fewer items to their baskets over the last four [...]
Expect no help: Boris Johnson warns any state support to fight cost of living crisis merely pushes up inflation even further May 3, 2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted this morning his Government is doing “everything we can” to help with the cost-of-living crisis. However, Johnson hinted there is only so much he can do because, in an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the Prime Minister warned that increasing state support beyond its current levels could drive inflation [...]