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.
Food and farming bosses warn businesses ‘still in meltdown’ amid labour crunch December 14, 2021 Chaos in the supply chain must be resolved to ensure food security in the UK, industry bodies have warned. The farming and producing sectors have been battered in recent months by labour shortages, including abattoir workers and HGV drivers. The industry has also struggled with inflation pushing up costs of energy, feed and fertiliser. The [...]
Record volume of UK factories hike prices in bid to survive inflation assault December 13, 2021 UK factories are hiking prices en masse in a bid to withstand an inflation onslaught, reveal fresh figures released today. A record number of British factories are raising prices as the sector scrambles to offset swelling costs to protect margins, research by BDO and Make UK found. The “eye watering impact of escalating cost pressures” [...]
GDP growth falls short of expectations, inching 0.1 per cent higher in October December 10, 2021 The UK’s economic growth inched just 0.1 per cent in October, according to the latest figures. The figure remains 0.5 per cent below its pre-pandemic level, the Officer for National Statistic found, falling short of economist and analyst expectations after experts had forecast a 0.4 per cent increase. Construction and hospitality were among the hardest [...]