London business confidence hits highest level since May last year August 31, 2023 Business confidence in London surged to its highest level since May last year, as firms around the country were increasingly optimistic about the UK economy. Business confidence in London rose 20 points during August to hit 52 per cent, according to the latest Lloyds Business Barometer. Some 56 per cent of firms were confident in [...]
FTSE reshuffle: Who’s been promoted and who’s got the boot? August 30, 2023 Marks & Spencer has climbed back on to the UK’s FTSE 100 four years after dropping off the top stock index, while housebuilder Persimmon has been demoted following a rocky patch for the housing market. The upmarket supermarket staged the return to the top tier after seeing its share price jump by more than two [...]
Mortgage approvals sink in July as market continues to cool on rising rates August 30, 2023 The number of mortgage approvals fell sharply in July as the housing market continues to cool off the back of rising interest rates.
New borrowing slows as Bank of England’s rate hikes take effect August 30, 2023 Consumer borrowing increased at a slower rate than expected last month as the Bank of England’s interest rate hikes hit demand for new loans. Bank of England figures out this morning showed that the monthly increase in consumer credit was £1.2bn, £400m less than the £1.6bn increase seen in June. Although borrowing on credit cards [...]
Embattled Direct Line confirms Aviva exec Winslow as man to lead turnaround charge August 30, 2023 Adam Winslow, the head of Aviva's UK arm, will attempt to reverse a downward trend for the UK insurer Direct Line
UK housing sales on track to sink to lowest level since 2012 August 30, 2023 The number of housing sales completed over 2023 is on track to sink to its lowest level since 2012, when Britain was still reeling from the financial crash, as higher borrowing costs continue to decimate the market. Sales are also set to be 21 per cent down on last year, according to new data from [...]
Brexit border checks on food delayed for fifth time August 29, 2023 The implementation of post-Brexit border checks on food products coming from the EU has been delayed for a fifth time.
German outlook bleak as consumer sentiment falls again August 29, 2023 German consumer sentiment is expected to fall in September, due to declining income expectations and propensity to buy, a GfK institute survey showed on Tuesday. The institute’s consumer sentiment index fell to -25.5 heading into September from a slightly revised -24.6 in August, below expectations of analysts polled by Reuters of a reading of -24.3. [...]
UBS settles Credit Suisse lawsuit with Swiss financial blog Inside Paradeplatz August 29, 2023 UBS and Swiss finance blog Inside Paradeplatz have settled a lawsuit relating to comments published on the site about Credit Suisse.
FTSE 100 close: London markets storm to two week high August 29, 2023 London’s premier index stormed to a two week high thanks as falling food inflation and hopes of a Chinese stimulus package lifted sentiment. The bluechip FTSE 100 ended 1.7 per cent higher at 7,464.99 while the midcap FTSE 250 rose 1.9 per cent to 18,468.59. Many markets around the world saw strong trading yesterday, when [...]