Small business confidence slumps amid rising rates and stubborn inflation July 26, 2023 Confidence among small businesses slumped in the second quarter as the impact of rising rates and a stalling economy hit SMEs. The Federation of Small Business’s (FSB) Small Business Index fell to minus 14.2 points in the second quarter, down 11.4 points in the first quarter of the year. The fall in confidence reflects the [...]
Supermarket meal deals help convenience food maker Greencore deliver solid revenues July 25, 2023 Convenience food maker Greencore has said the number of sandwiches sold as part of supermarket meal deals has reached record highs as it reported solid quarterly revenues. The Irish business, which supplies sandwiches and sushi to the likes of M&S and Waitrose, said 52 per cent of supermarket sandwiches are now bought as part of [...]
Food promotions now make up 22.5 per cent of grocery sales – and it’s up a fifth from last year July 25, 2023 Promotions on food and other items now account for 22.5 per cent of grocery sales, as Brits continue to seek out bargains amid the cost of living crisis. The figure has risen from 20 per cent last year in the same period last year and is the highest over the past 12 months excluding Christmas and [...]
UK recession risk just got a whole lot lower after inflation undershoot July 25, 2023 From the Bank of England to recession warnings, Jack Barnett gets under the skin of Britain’s economy in his weekly column Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey would not have been the only person in the City last week breathing a sigh of relief after the better than expected inflation numbers. It was the first [...]
The Notebook: Kokou Agbo-Bloua on fashionomics, inflation musings and our broken food system July 25, 2023 Where interesting people say interesting things. Today it’s Kokou Agbo-Bloua, global head of economics, cross-asset & quant research and UK head of research at Societe Generale Fashionomics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Since the dawn of time, clothing has been an important part of our human experience. We lost our fur at least [...]
Utilita boss: We’ve got ‘no faith’ in Ofgem’s ability to manage the market July 25, 2023 The price cap is still "the biggest single risk to supplier profitability," warned Utilita boss Bill Bullen, as he called for more household support.
UK inflation will top Bank of England two per cent target until end of 2024, EY claims July 24, 2023 Inflation will top the Bank of England’s two per cent target for over a year, hobbling UK economic growth and eroding workers’ finances, new forecasts out today claim. Prices are set to ease much slower than previously expected due to food and energy costs remaining elevated, according to consultancy the EY Item Club. UK inflation [...]
Federal Reserve and European Central Bank may back final rate rises this week, experts bet July 24, 2023 US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank officials could launch their final interest rate rises this week as inflation ebbs in their respective economic blocs, experts are betting. Members of the federal open market committee (FOMC) are on Wednesday tipped to raise borrowing costs 25 basis points to a range of 5.25 per cent and [...]
Crypto’s story this week is one of sideways trading, but the future is self-custody education July 21, 2023 As he thinks about taking to the racetrack, Jason Deane reflects over a week that has been far more exciting than just sideways trading.
Summer deals help bump retail sales as growth falls at slowest rate in a year July 21, 2023 Retail sales grew by 0.7 per cent in June 2023 with increases across all the main sectors, as warmer weather and a greater selection increased consumer spending. During the month, non-food stores sales volumes rose slightly by 1.0 per cent in June 2023, following a fall of 0.5 per cent in May 2023, according to [...]