British Gas to donate 10 per cent of profits to help household energy bills August 25, 2022 British Gas will donate 10 per cent of its profits to help households grapple with soaring energy bills for the “duration of the energy crisis”. Parent company Centrica took home some £1.34bn in profits in the first six months of the year, representing a vast five-fold increase on earnings of £262m this time 12 months [...]
Hays’ shareholders to catch £170m windfall amid skills shortage August 25, 2022 Hays, the FTSE recruitment giant, is planning to return nearly £170m in dividends to its shareholders, as “acute skills shortages” mean the company can hike its fees. Bosses plan to dish out some £47.3m in core dividends, and a special dividend of £121.2m, rewarding shareholders with “significant cash” worth £168.5m, chief executive Alistair Cox said [...]
Government must support UK science firms in shouldering cost pressures, says ABPI president August 25, 2022 The Government must help paint a positive picture for the pharmaceutical industry via increased support, so that CEOs feel encouraged to shoulder the cost pressures hitting the sector, the president of the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) told City A.M. The industry is currently navigating staff shortages, inflation as well as dwindling investment, which [...]
We should be encouraging more savings for retirement, but instead we’re capping them August 25, 2022 You may not have heard of them yet, but pension dashboards promise to be the next big thing for retirement savers. Just like your mobile banking app, they will allow savers to access all of their pension schemes in one place. They are another example of technology making personal finance more efficient. What’s more, their [...]
Government is ‘running out of time’ to save British households from energy crisis August 25, 2022 The government is “running out of time” to save businesses and households from the inflation crisis, one of the country’s largest business groups has warned today. Policymakers should be launching measures now to shield Britons from the looming long recession, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said today. The BCC has written to chancellor Nadhim [...]
London’s FTSE 100 edges lower ahead of Jackson Hole August 24, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 edged lower today driven by investors fretting over how stern central bankers will be with tackling inflation. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.22 per cent to 7,471.51 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, inched down 0.01 per cent to [...]
Oil holds firm as Saudi Arabia proposes OPEC cuts August 24, 2022 Brent Crude held above $100 per barrel today, after oil titan Saudi Arabia suggested OPEC would consider cutting output.
Which UK shares should you keep an eye on in September 2022 August 24, 2022 As Citi predicts UK inflation will strike a forbidding 18.6% in early 2023, investors are rushing to rebalance their portfolios away from unsustainable growth towards the best UK shares, including FRP Advisory Group, QinetiQ, and Phoenix Group. UK shares to buy With interest rates rising with the risk of corporate defaults, the twin signposts of liquidity and [...]
We’re ignoring a basic tool to help the poorest with their energy bills right now August 24, 2022 In the throes of an inflation induced cost of living crisis, energy prices need urgent political and policy attention. The plans put forward tend to vary around traditional conceptions of more tax, less tax or price suppression – but there are also ways the government can do highly targeted interventions to people in need. Targeted [...]
Iceland boss: Absence of government support on energy bills risks job losses and bankruptcy for firms August 23, 2022 Iceland boss Richard Walker has called on ministers to issue more support for businesses struggling with sky-high energy bills. Without a price cap on businesses’ energy bills, smaller firms would surely collapse, the supermarket’s managing director told CityA.M. An absence of further support for businesses was “really serious,” as the colder months approach, Walker said. [...]