FTSE 100 close: London markets close in the green after US inflation print August 10, 2023 London’s markets ended higher as investors were boosted by data which suggested the US had got a firm grip on its inflation problem. The FTSE 100 index ended 0.4 per cent higher up to 7,616.38 while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index climbed 0.3 per cent to 18,986.76. Although US inflation increased slightly for the first [...]
Inflation to remain above Bank of England’s target until 2025, think tank warns August 9, 2023 Inflation may remain above the Bank of England’s two per cent target for the next few years as price increases have increasingly spilled over into the wider economy, a think tank warned today. According to forecasts from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), inflation is forecast to fall to 5.2 per cent [...]
Beyond Meat: Pricey vegan alternative’s revenue falls 30 per cent as forecast slashed August 8, 2023 Beyond Meat slashed its annual forecast for the year as its revenues plummeted 30 per cent in the second quarter due to customers becoming more reluctant to buy into pricey fake meat alternatives amid the cost of living crisis. The US company, which supplies its vegan plant based burger patties to the likes of McDonald’s, [...]
Taylor Swift helps Brits shake it off with entertainment spree but it’s a cruel summer for retailers August 8, 2023 Taylor Swift tickets, which went on sale in July, have powered a double-digit increase in entertainment spending so far this summer
Last orders! Rate of pub closures reaches decade high as rate hikes and inflation bites August 7, 2023 The number of pub closures in the UK reached its highest quarterly figure in over a decade, new data reveals, as soaring costs force more of the country’s local watering holes to close their doors for good. Some 223 pub businesses entered insolvency in the second quarter of this year, up from 200 in the [...]
Bank of England lifts interest rates to fresh 15 year high in smaller than feared 14th straight hike August 3, 2023 The Bank of England today hiked the UK’s official interest rate for the 14th time in a row but by a lower degree than some had feared. Members of the nine-strong monetary policy committee (MPC) voted 6-3 in favour of a 25 basis point rise, smaller than the 50 basis point lift some in the [...]
Greggs: Evening sales and travel hubs send baker’s sales soaring August 1, 2023 Greggs recorded total sales of £844m in its interim results, up from £694m compared to the same period last year.
Tighter interest rates and inflation clobber UK business confidence August 1, 2023 Higher interest rates and elevated prices have thrown a wet blanket over UK business optimism, according to surveys out today. Confidence as measured by the lobby group the Institute of Directors (IoD) was largely unchanged last month at minus 30 points, up marginally from June’s minus 31 point reading. It solidifies signs that pessimism is [...]
Food inflation slumps to lowest level this year but experts caution against declaring victory yet August 1, 2023 Food inflation has slipped to its lowest level this year and has fallen for the third month in a row, an encouraging signal that suggests the UK is through the worst of the cost of living crisis, a new survey out today shows. The cost of groceries climbed 13.4 per cent over the year to [...]
Are central banks to blame for the inflation crisis? August 1, 2023 As we enter what looks like the final leg of central banks’ interest rate rising journeys, it’s as good a time as ever to trace why they have been jolted into action after over a decade of ultra loose policy and whether their response to the inflation crisis has been effective. Coming out of the [...]