SME crisis: Late payment of invoices and spiralling costs threaten survival of more than 400,000 small businesses January 3, 2022 Paying invoices too late is threating the survival of hundreds of thousands of small firms, a businesses group warned this morning. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) fears that late payments, high inflation and mounting administration for firms that trade internationally could see numbers shrink if something is not done about these issues. Of the [...]
Brits flocking to online retailers hoists UK spending above pre-pandemic levels December 31, 2021 Widespread take up of online shopping amid Covid-19 lockdowns has lifted consumer spending above pre-pandemic levels, reveal fresh figures released today. Brits spent 5.9 per cent more in 2021 compared to 2019, according to research from Barclaycard, which cover £1 in every £3 spent on debit and credit cards in the UK. The upbeat spending [...]
Best of 2021: Why UK airlines are at odds with Heathrow December 27, 2021 The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) managed to upset both airlines and Heathrow on 16 December when it confirmed the interim price cap which will be implemented at the London hub from 1 January. From the current £19.60 the charges will go up to £29.50 in 2020 prices, amounting to £30.19 per passenger because of the [...]
Biscuit maker McVitie’s warns of price hikes December 20, 2021 McVities’ owner Pladis Global has said prices on popular household names could increase as much as five per cent. The company said it had experienced higher costs due to staff absences, increased ingredient costs and higher labour costs. Pladis’s UK managing director, David Murray, said: “Omicron disruption, absenteeism, and the rising cost of business going [...]
FTSE 100 lifts 0.13 per cent on better than expected November retail sales December 17, 2021 The FTSE 100 is up 0.21 per cent this morning after retail sales made a stronger than expected recovery in November.
UK bricks and mortar sales have stronger-than-expected November, but Omicron threatens festive figures December 17, 2021 Black Friday deals on toys, clothes and tech pushed UK retail sales up by a better-than-expected 1.4 per cent in November, as shoppers hit the high street for their early Christmas shopping, the Office for National Statistics said today. Last month’s UK retail sales figures were 4.7 per cent higher than a year earlier, the [...]
Inflation has been Odyssey of 2021 for a behind the curve Bank of England December 17, 2021 Odysseus famously stuffed his ears with beeswax to avoid being lured by the sirens. Thousands of households across Britain were likely doing something similar to stop themselves from wincing at the final inflation reading of the year. Prices are now 5.1 per cent higher than they were a year ago. For anyone with an appetite, [...]
Outlook 2022: UK equities December 16, 2021 The UK holds many mispriced opportunities for stockpickers. Pick-up in M&A activity is striking. Stock market fit for the future. Sue Noffke, Head of UK Equities: UK shares remain cheap because of the perceived significant political and economic risks of Brexit, which continue to linger and depress the valuation of the UK stock market. We [...]
Decade-high inflation print dials up pressure on Bank of England to hike rates December 15, 2021 Pressure on the Bank of England to hike rates is dialling up amid swelling energy bills causing inflation to skyrocket to its highest level in over a decade. The cost of living climbed to 5.1 per cent last month, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today, smashing analysts’ expectations and [...]
Soaring fuel and clothes prices push inflation to 5.1 per cent, its highest level in a decade December 15, 2021 Spiralling prices in transport and retail have pushed inflation to its highest level for a decade piling pressure on the BoE to hike rates.