Sunak accepts six per cent public sector pay rises but warns it ‘will cost all of you as taxpayers’ July 13, 2023 Government has accepted recommendations for millions of public sector workers to receive pay rises of six per cent or more, Rishi Sunak has announced. The prime minister said today reports from independent pay bodies calling for public sector pay rises of between five and 6.5 per cent for millions of medics, teachers and civil servants [...]
Jeremy Hunt on track to ‘obliterate’ fiscal rules as OBR warns of much higher debt bill July 13, 2023 Jeremy Hunt is on track to blow out his financial goals due to the Bank of England hiking interest rates aggressively to bring down sticky inflation, according to new forecasts out today from the UK’s spending watchdog. Payments to investors who have purchased UK government debt are poised to rise more than £90bn above what [...]
The Square Mile and Me: Paragon Bank CEO Nigel Terrington talks paper rounds, The Lamb and office faux pas July 13, 2023 We dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good: this week, Nigel Terrington, chief executive of Paragon Bank, takes a stroll down memory lane. What was your first job? I was a paper boy, aged around 14, in Surrey. I had to get up ridiculously early and the biggest challenge was to [...]
Poundland sales continue to surge as bargain hunters seek out best deals July 13, 2023 Poundland has once again been bolstered by a surge in shoppers seeking out value goods, with its parent company Pepco reporting a 12.5 per cent surge in revenues in the third quarter. Pepco Group said it reached revenues of €1.37bn (£1.17bn) as the group opened 141 new store openings during the third quarter across its [...]
Bitcoin and Ethereum seeing upward movement following unexpected dip after promising US inflation figures July 13, 2023 Bitcoin was down to $30,300 early this morning, but signs of a potential bounce are just starting to show around $30,500.
Shares tumble for struggling FTSE housebuilders: ‘The scale of challenge cannot be swept under carpet’ July 13, 2023 The share price of London FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 house builders all took a tumble this morning, as fresh reports highlighting the state of the property market dampened investor confidence. Barratt was the hardest to fall this morning, with its shares sliding 4.67 per cent, as the group reported a 49 per cent decline [...]
FTSE 100 live: London markets rise after UK GDP contracts by less than expected July 13, 2023 London markets rose this morning, despite housebuilders slumping, after official figures showed that the UK economy contracted by less than expected. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.18 per cent higher at 7,429.68 while the midcap FTSE 250, which is more aligned with the health of the domestic economy, climbed 0.13 per cent to 18,604.03. Sentiment [...]
Inflation? Have a Rolex instead. Watches of Switzerland revenue up a quarter as mega-rich keep spending July 13, 2023 Watches of Switzerland reported a 25 per cent hike in revenues for the year, as the demand from the mega rich for luxury goods shows no signs of stalling despite the cost of living crisis. The luxury watch seller reached revenues of £1.54bn up from £1.23bn compared to the same period last year, as it [...]
MusicMagpie hit by postal strikes and inflation – but there are reasons to be cheerful July 13, 2023 Online retailer MusicMagpie was hit hard by postal strikes and low consumer confidence, although an “improved trading performance” after February saw a strong rebound. MusicMagpie – who specialise in consumer tech and disc media – said revenues were at £61.9m, down from £71.3m last year. Total gross profit for the group was also slightly lower, [...]
Barratt Developments warns a ‘deterioration’ in demand for homes due to rate pain has hit hard July 13, 2023 Barratt Developments has warned a “deterioration” in demand for homes has hit housebuilding hard, as a tumultuous mortgage market continues to pile on misery, with the group’s share price down over four per cent when markers opened this morning. The residential building company said net private reservation rate – the number of people putting their [...]