New Zealand halves public transport fares amid soaring inflation, fuel prices March 15, 2022 New Zealand has halved prices for public transport in response to soaring fuel costs sparked by the war in Ukraine. Its Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the call saying the “global energy crisis has quickly become acute”. However, her government has been criticised for the rising cost of living even before the war started, with [...]
Plumbing giant Ferguson posts rising sales after ‘navigating supply chain pressures’ March 15, 2022 Plumbing and heating products distributor Ferguson has posted soaring sales with price inflation driven by finished goods. Adjusted net sales rose 31.8 per cent, results for the three months ended 31 January 2022 revealed on Tuesday. Adjusted EBITDA also shot up 65.7 per cent in the period, with the firm anticipating “solid revenue growth” in [...]
Virgin Wines battles shifting consumer habits as share earnings slip March 15, 2022 Virgin Wines earnings per share and pre-tax profit have stunted in the past six months, as the online wine retailer battles shifting consumer habits. With spiralling inflation and soaring energy prices, UK consumers are increasingly holding back splurging on non-necessities such as wine. The company, a subsidiary of the Virgin Group, earned an average of [...]
Wheat prices spike as Russia threatens to suspend exports March 14, 2022 European wheat prices have risen amid threats from Russia it will suspend exports of wheat, barley, maize and rye.
The City View: The Fed considers a rate hike, and India considers Russian oil March 14, 2022 On today’s episode of The City View, Andy Silvester chats to City A.M. reporter Jack Barnett about firms raising their prices; whether the Fed and the Bank of England will hike rates, and by how much; and what we can expect of inflation by this October. Andy also takes us through the headlines: Rio Tinto [...]
UK firms to launch price hike spree as Bank of England prepares to lift rates again March 14, 2022 A record proportion of UK firms are preparing to hike prices in a further sign of the scale of inflationary pressures sweeping throughout the economy, reveals a closely watched survey released today. The fresh figures provide further incentives for the Bank of England to hike interest rates for the third meeting in a row when [...]
US Federal Reserve to hike rates for first time in over three years March 14, 2022 The US Federal Reserve will hike interest rates for the first time in over three years on Wednesday as the central bank takes the first step in shifting policy from supporting the American economy through the pandemic to taming runaway inflation. Fed Chair Jerome Powell and the rest of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) [...]
Pandemic leads to major spike in whistleblowers turning to SFO to report alleged fraud March 14, 2022 The pandemic has led to a near 20 per cent rise in whistleblower reports about alleged fraud. Workers may have falsified accounts to cover up theft or inflated sales figures in a bid to achieve bonuses during the pandemic, a new report by consultancy firm Accuracy has found. There was a 17 per cent rise [...]
Price pinch: Most Brits financially struggling or worried as inflation rises and Ukraine war rages March 14, 2022 Almost 60 per cent of Brits either struggling financially, or concerned about money in the near future, due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis. The economic effect of the conflict has exacerbated the rise in energy and food, against the backdrop of increasing inflation, which is set to exceed the [...]
Gold and silver tumble as central banks ready interest rate hikes March 14, 2022 Gold and silver prices slipped this morning as looming interest rate hikes and growing optimism of a ceasefire led investors to flee safe haven assets.