Exclusive: UK firms stop hiring and mull layoffs as recession takes hold January 9, 2023 Layoffs are on course to climb, driven by businesses cutting costs amid what risks being the longest UK recession in memory, exclusive research shared with City A.M. indicates. Firms are planning to pause hiring or even sack workers to protect their finances from a slump in spending sparked by the cost of living crisis. Nearly [...]
BDO in the spotlight over Home REIT audit January 9, 2023 BDO is facing questions over its audit of troubled property investor Home REIT, after it was asked to look again at the social housing firm’s books amid accusations executives had been ‘round-tripping’ revenues and inflated the value of its property portfolio. Home REIT, which invests in housing for vulnerable groups, was forced to delay the [...]
UK fintech funding tumbles amid global slowdown, but London remains well ahead of global rivals January 9, 2023 Investment into the UK’s fintech sector slumped eight per cent last year as soaring inflation and the shocks of war in Ukraine brought an end to a decade-long global venture capital frenzy, figures shared exclusively with City A.M. reveal.
Covid variant, China invasion of Taiwan and more inflation: What shocks will 2023 bring? January 8, 2023 A new Covid-19 variant that escapes vaccines is among the biggest risks threatening to sharpen the UK recession, City economists surveyed by City A.M. suspect. Asked what wildcard trends could spring up to hit the economy this year, experts warned another deadly strain of the virus spreading is one of the biggest headwinds that would [...]
Emmanuel Macron set for almighty row over plans to bump up French retirement age January 8, 2023 French President Emmanuel Macron’s government attempts to revive his economic reform drive and score a major political victory this week with a launch of the pension system’s overhaul in the face of vehement trade union opposition. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is to detail on Tuesday plans to make the French work longer, most likely by [...]
Week ahead: UK economy to enter recession in all but name as JP Morgan kicks off earnings season January 8, 2023 The UK economy is set to enter a recession in all but name after official figures out later this week will likely reveal output slumped again in November. Fresh gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, set to be released on Friday, will top London investors’ minds in a week that sees Wall Street banking giants kick [...]
Rishi Sunak hits back at critics of inflation promise but warns government ‘can’t help anybody’ if prices don’t fall January 8, 2023 Rishi Sunak has today claimed halving inflation by the end of the year – one of his five promises to the British public – will happen “because of the plans [the government] have put in place”. Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, the prime minister doubled down on a series of pledges [...]
US Data in Focus as we begin 2023 January 6, 2023 Back again for another year of trading and our focus immediately shifts to the world’s largest economy in the midst of the impending global recession that we are looking at heading into the rest of 2023. As manufacturing has showed a continuing slowdown this week we turn our attention to the first non-farm payrolls release [...]
US economy adds more jobs than expected in headache for Fed January 6, 2023 The US economy added more jobs than expected last month, but cooling wage growth may convince the Federal Reserve to hold off on repeating jumbo interest rate hikes this year, official figures out today reveal. Some 223k Americans bagged a new job last month, down slightly from November, according to data from the US Bureau [...]
Recession spreads to British construction as experts brace for a jump in unemployment and the cost of living January 6, 2023 British builders are being dragged into a slump by the recession that has taken hold in the wider economy, a closely watched survey has revealed.. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) final purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the construction sector for December fell to 48.8 from 50.4. The reading means [...]