Sunak and Truss’s room for tax cuts is ‘limited’, OECD warns August 3, 2022 Tory leadership hopefuls Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak’s room to cut taxes is limited, a top global economic institution said today. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said an ageing society and the need to boost public sector investment to lift growth will keep government spending higher for decades, limiting “the scope for [...]
Robinhood lays off almost a quarter of staff as crypto crash continues August 3, 2022 Trading platform Robinhood cut about 23 per cent of its staff as the crypto crash persisted and economic outlook dampened. The company, which enables crypto trading, had previously laid off 9 per cent of its staff to manage costs. The layoffs follow other crypto companies cutting staff as the “crypto winter” causes prices of major [...]
Scorching inflation hits eurozone retail sales in sign of looming recession August 3, 2022 Surging inflation eroding Europeans’ living standards is squeezing spending in the bloc, reveal new figures published today. Retail sales dropped 1.2 per cent in the 19 countries that use the euro in June, down from a 0.4 per cent rise in May, Eurostat said. The drop, which was worse than analysts’ forecasts, means retail sales [...]
Rolls-Royce gets green light to wrap up £1.5bn sale of Spanish engines firm August 3, 2022 Rolls-Royce has been given the green light from the Spanish government to sell its Spanish engine manufacturing business for £1.5bn. The sale of Basque-based ITP Aero, to a consortium of investors, forms part of a string of disposals since 2020. The London-listed engineering giant announced during the height of the pandemic that it sought to [...]
US recession risk remains as Fed seeks to tame inflation August 3, 2022 After its latest rate rise, the Federal Reserve has signalled the pace of hikes could slow. But a recession may still be necessary to bring runaway inflation under control. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by another 75 basis points (bps) at its July meeting, but indicated that the pace could slow from here. In [...]
Sheepish consumers deal blow to UK services economy August 3, 2022 Consumers cutting spending in response to a historic inflation surge has weighed on growth in the UK’s services economy, reveals a closely watched survey published today. Brits are being squeezed by soaring living costs eroding their incomes, prompting them to cut unnecessary spending to protect their finances. As a result, growth in the services industry [...]
Threat of stagflation returns for first time since 1970s as UK enters early stage of drawn-out recession August 3, 2022 The UK is in the early stages of a drawn out recession that will tip millions of households into financial crisis, reveals fresh forecasts published today. An inflation surge driven by an unprecedented rise in energy bills will steer the economy into recession this quarter and keep it there until early months of next year, [...]
Poundland to open 25 UK stores this year as low-price giant exploits Brits’ hunger for cheaper products August 3, 2022 Poundland said this morning it plans to open and relocate 25 stores across the country in 2022. Ten new branches will be opened by the end of next month and 15 more before the year ends. The low-price retailer said it will primarily focus on high streets, retail parks, and neighbourhoods, with stores expected to [...]
Bank of England to rip up history books at this week’s rate decision August 3, 2022 Soaring inflation will force the Bank of England to do something it has never done since it was made independent 25 years ago, City economists are betting. Governor Andrew Bailey and the rest of the monetary policy committee (MPC) will hike interest rates 50 basis points this Thursday. The move would also mark the sixth [...]
BA extends ticket sale suspension for short-haul flights from Heathrow to 15 August August 2, 2022 British Airways (BA) has extended its ticket sale suspension for short-haul flights from Heathrow until 15 August. “We took pre-emptive action to reduce our schedule this summer to give customers certainty about their travel plans and to build more resilience into our operation given the ongoing challenges facing the entire aviation industry,” the airline said [...]