Today’s Fed meeting: ‘Officials are behind the curve when it comes to dealing with inflation risk’ January 26, 2022 Markets’ main focus is set to be on today’s Fed meeting, and the messaging that is expected to layout the rate path for the rest of the year, starting with a widely expected 0.25 per cent March rate hike. “Last month’s Fed meeting saw the central bank accelerate its tapering program to $30bn a month, [...]
Market sentiment driven by events on Russia vs NATO over Ukraine and today’s Fed meeting January 26, 2022 European markets had a slightly more resilient tone yesterday, reversing some of their early week losses, however we still remain below the closing levels of last week, so it might be a little early to sound the all clear so to speak. US markets also saw another rollercoaster session, opening sharply lower, as they looked [...]
BT slaps millions of customers with 9 per cent hike in charges on phone and broadband bills January 21, 2022 Telecoms giant BT has said it plans to increase prices by 9 per cent from the end of March for most customers, another sign the cost-of-living squeeze is deepening. The company said those affected will end up paying an extra £3.50 a month – or £42 annually – on average for phone and broadband bills. [...]
Brits to shoulder worst cost of living squeeze since 1991 January 20, 2022 Brits are set to shoulder the worst cost of living squeeze since the early 1990s, ignited by swelling energy bills and food prices compounding to spike household budgets. This week’s higher than expected inflation reading bounced one the world’s top investment bank’s cost of living forecasts. Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs lifted its expectations for [...]
UK inflation jumps to 5.4 per cent: Highest rate in almost 30 years January 19, 2022 The rate of Consumer Price Index inflation increased to 5.4 per cent in December from 5.1% in November, the Office for National Statistics has said. Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said: “The inflation rate rose again at the end of the year and has not been higher for almost [...]
The world in 2022: a map to global politics January 19, 2022 In 2022 the fault lines of global politics will be tested again. City A.M. and the British Foreign Policy Group chart the year ahead. If the pandemic taught us anything, it is the deep ramifications that one country’s domestic politics have globally. From the future of the French President to continual Chinese aggression, here we [...]
Week ahead: City braces for more eye watering inflation data January 16, 2022 The City’s attention this week will zero in on latest UK inflation estimates published on Wednesday. Although experts expect the rate of price rises to remain broadly unchanged, investors are likely to gulp at inflation remaining at historically high levels. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), inflation hit 5.1 per cent in November, [...]
It’s not just growth, it’s M&S growth: Supermarket reports ‘encouraging’ festive results January 13, 2022 Luxury supermarket M&S sustained a strong performance through the Christmas period, making it the fastest growing major store-based food retailer in the festive run up.
Premier Inn owner Whitbread gets serious Omicron beating over Christmas as new investments are postponed January 12, 2022 Premier Inn owner Whitbread has revealed a knock to demand over the festive season from the spread of the Omicron variant and cautioned over rising costs. The group saw total UK sales drop 4.4 per cent year-on-year in the six weeks to January 6, dragged lower by a 17.2 per cent slump in food and [...]
A very merry Christmas: Sainsbury’s upgrades full year profits to £720m thanks to retail boom January 12, 2022 Sainsbury’s has reported a very merry Christmas this morning, upgrading its pre-tax profits for the full year to £720m.