Mark Kleinman: Natwest’s future, Ovo Energy and Hargreaves Lansdown’s search for a successor July 27, 2023 Mark Kleinman is City editor at Sky News What next for Natwest? Somebody with a tighter grip at the top, and that’s just the start Banking with the human touch: that’s how Coutts, the high net worth bank owned by Natwest Group, likes to position itself. Like so many corporate slogans, however, it often bears [...]
City workers pocket above average 13 per cent pay rise as financial services jobs tumble July 27, 2023 City workers pocketed an average 13 per cent pay increase when switching jobs over the last quarter, a rise that is above the national average, new research out today shows. Salary increases handed down to new starters at the Square Mile’s banks, brokers and insurers have ebbed over the last year as activity in the [...]
Bank of England monetary bosses should have their pay tied to inflation targets July 27, 2023 If the Bank of England want workers to accept reductions in their real income, the bosses on the monetary policy committee should too, writes David Bholat.
Federal Reserve sends US interest rates to 22 year high in possible final hike July 26, 2023 The US Federal Reserve today launched what many on Wall Street think will be the final interest rate hike in its current tightening cycle. Members of the federal open market committee (FOMC) backed a 25 basis point increase to leave the federal funds rate at a range of 5.25 per cent and 5.5 per cent. [...]
FTSE 100 close: Soft Lloyds Bank results spark sell off as Natwest tumbles after Alison Rose exit July 26, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged down today by investors ditching shares in Britain’s biggest banks after Lloyds posted a soggy set of results that dampened market sentiment. The capital’s premier index fell 0.19 per cent to 7,676.88 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK [...]
Fish and chip-per: ‘Classic’ pub grub leads the way for Marston’s surging sales July 26, 2023 Marston’s thanked warmer weather in June and appetite for classic pub like fish and chips grub for a surge in like-for-like sales for the 16 weeks ended July. Unusually hot spells at the start of summer drove customers to pubs, with more people drinking and dining out hiking like-for-like sales by 10.9 per cent. Group [...]
Hunt tells banks and energy firms to use profits to support customers and avoid a ‘fiscal intervention’ July 26, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has urged big banking and energy firms to use their profits to help customers with the cost of living crisis, and avoid intervention from the Government. In an article calling on corporations to support the public through Britain’s ongoing economic woes, he appealed to firms to be more responsible, pitching a “social [...]
Deutsche Bank flags cost cuts as investment bank slump lowers profit July 26, 2023 Deutsche Bank on Wednesday posted a 27 per cent fall in second-quarter profit as investment banking revenue slumped and warned of the need for cost cuts even though higher interest rates fuelled gains at its retail division. The German lender downgraded its outlook for the investment bank, saying it now expected revenues to be slightly lower [...]
Reckitt: Durex maker’s sales swell as price hikes offset volume slump July 26, 2023 Durex-maker Reckitt Benckiser said ramping up its prices had helped soften the blow of a volume slowdown in the first half of the year as it topped analyst expectations. Reckitt, which also owns Cillit Bang and Dettol among other brands, posted a pretax profit of £1.64bn for the first half of the year, down from [...]
Heathrow narrows losses but blames CAA price cap for staying in the red July 26, 2023 Heathrow Airport said on Wednesday it remained loss making in the first half of 2023 despite soaring passenger figures, blaming a cap on the amount it can charge airlines for using the hub. For the six months to June, the west-London hub saw adjusted pre-tax losses halve to £139m but said that the airport “remains [...]