Property and rent price rises speed up as low stock and inflation grip households July 20, 2022 The pace of property and rental price rises in the UK has sped up, according to the latest figures, as a cost of living crisis shrinks household budgets. Rents in the UK rose by three per cent in the year to June, up from 2.8 per cent in the 12-months to May. House prices increase [...]
Inflation races to new 40-year high – but worst is yet to come July 20, 2022 UK inflation raced to a fresh 40-year high last month, but economists have warned the cost of living squeeze is set to get even worse. Prices surged 9.4 per cent over the year to June, the quickest acceleration since 1982 and up from an already historic level of 9.1 per cent in May, according to [...]
Planned redundancies down by a fifth as firms spooked by pandemic’s impact on labour shortages July 20, 2022 Firms are putting off planned redundancies despite rising business rates and inflation, after being spooked by the pandemic’s impact creating severe staff shortages. The number of redundancies has fallen by 21 per cent from in the last quarter according to law firm GQ|Littler. The figures show it dropped from 50,382 to 39,669 up to the [...]
Last orders? Bittersweet summer for pubs as rising costs out-shadow post-pandemic demand July 20, 2022 Packed beer gardens herald the arrival of summer in Britain. For publicans, this summer presents a chance to rebuild after two years’ of Covid-19 restrictions battering trade. Yet, with inflation surpassing 40-year highs and strike action threatening to severe revellers’ passages into city centres, will publicans be able to make up for those long, lost [...]
Consumers turn to instant noodles in cost of living crunch, says Premier Foods boss July 20, 2022 Shoppers are increasingly turning to budget meals amid the cost of living crisis in the UK, the boss of consumer goods giant Premier Foods said today. The popularity of its instant ramen brands Nissin and Batchelors, which own Cup Noodle and Super Noodles respectively, in the second quarter of this year have jumped, as household [...]
Tax and spend? We can’t save public services without a unified tech policy July 20, 2022 There are numerous ways in which to judge a potential leadership candidate. Their sheer electoral appeal, their reputation within the party, their communication style and authenticity, their experience, or their policy agendas. Or often all of the above. In regards to the latter, the candidates are unsurprisingly fixated on the same old conventional arguments about [...]
It would be madness to arm the unions with acquiescence July 20, 2022 THE continuing rail disputes are understandable given that two years of on-off lockdown have disrupted normal pay settlement processes. But the railways have been massively subsidised by the taxpayer over this period, and cannot expect such largesse to continue. Revenue is down to less than 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels, and patterns of use [...]
FTSE finance chiefs brace for recession July 20, 2022 Britain’s top finance chiefs are bracing for a recession driven by inflation crimping consumers and thinning businesses’ margins, a new survey published today reveals. Chief financial officers (CFO) at the UK’s largest listed companies think there is a 63 per cent chance of the economy swinging into reverse over the next 12 months, according to [...]
Global money managers in financial crisis style flight from stocks July 19, 2022 Global money managers are holding the lowest level of stocks in their portfolios since the global financial crisis in 2008, revealed a closely watched survey published today. Expectations for world economic growth dropped to the deepest point on record, as did bets on expansion in corporate earnings, Wall Street investment bank Bank of America found. [...]
FTSE 100 reverses early losses on strong Wall Street gains July 19, 2022 London markets whipsawed today as investors’ concerns about a bigger Bank of England rate rise were tamed by strong gains on Wall Street. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index surged 1.01 per cent to 7,296.28 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed [...]