Gold consolidates rallies as investors seek safe haven from Ukraine tensions February 18, 2022 Gold prices have stabilised after surging over the past two days, ahead of a potential US-Russia meeting over Ukraine next week.
2021’s top traded stocks at IG and outlook for 2022 February 18, 2022 What were the most popular stocks in 2021? We look at how equity markets continued to rise with economic recovery and how investor sentiment on sectors has begun to change with increasing interest rates. The most traded stocks in 2021 Last year was an overwhelmingly positive period for equity markets with many developed market stock [...]
TfL bosses say Tube staff pay rise will worsen financial crisis February 18, 2022 Transport for London (TfL) bosses have warned that the body’s financial situation will worsen following the eight per cent pay rise awarded to 16,500 Tube staff. The deal, which sees employees being entitled to the RPI rate of inflation plus 0.2 per cent, will cost TfL an additional £100m and lead to further cuts to [...]
Turn around for Natwest as bank returns to profitability February 18, 2022 Natwest has returned to profitability after suffering heavy losses in 2020, with results boosted by strong savings and lending growth.
January retail sales boosted as cost of living crisis looms February 18, 2022 January retail sales volumes lifted 1.9 per cent last month while retailers prepare for consumers to limit spending as bills soar. According to the latest retail data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), sales volumes marked the largest monthly increase since April 2021 when non-essential retailing reopened. An increase came after a four per [...]
The spectre of entrenched inflation will soon hit loss-making start-ups hard February 18, 2022 Larry Summers was Treasury Secretary to Bill Clinton, Barack Obama’s Director of the National Economic Council, and President of Harvard University. When he offers an economic prediction, therefore, he is worth listening to. A recent one was sobering. Summers believes we are entering a period of “higher entrenched inflation”. Make no mistake: inflation is a [...]
We must end our dependency on Russia’s gas and embrace renewable opportunities February 18, 2022 Our energy bills are up by 54 per cent this year. It’s not just gas – the cost of fuel, food, and furniture is ticking up too. The Bank of England now expects inflation to surge past 7 per cent by the end of this year. That’s going to price many of us out of [...]
London markets mixed as investors mull next steps in Russia-Ukraine saga February 17, 2022 London markets plummeted today as investors were spooked by a seeming false alarm on a de-escalation in the Russia-Ukraine saga. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dropped 0.87 per cent to 7,537.37 points, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, plunged 1.24 per cent to [...]
Slap up Valentines Day meals boosts UK diner volumes February 17, 2022 Couples treating themselves to a slap up Valentines Day meal boosted the volume of diners in the UK over the last week, revealed official figures released today. The number of restaurant goers in Britain surged 17 percentage points in just a week and is now nearly a third above its pre-pandemic level, according to the [...]
Entrenched supply crunch stoking inflation risks throttling global economy, IMF warns February 17, 2022 Supply chain breakdowns stoking inflation are inflicting “harm” on the global recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, the world’s economic watchdog warned today. Swelling costs fuelled by choking supply bottlenecks pose a serious risk to derailing the economic rebound by cutting households’ spending power, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned. Central banks launching a rapid [...]