Metro Bank loss narrows to £70.7m as bank vows to put compliance issues behind it March 2, 2023 Higher interest rates helped Metro Bank narrow its loss for the year as the bank attempts to put a series of compliance missteps behind it. Metro Bank’s pretax loss narrowed to £70.7m in 2022, as the bank saw revenue jump 31 per cent on the back of higher interest rates. The bank noted it was [...]
Bank of England Mann warns interest rates need to keep rising to squash inflation February 23, 2023 Interest rates in the UK will have to keep rising to prevent inflation sticking around for too long, a member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) warned today. Catherine Mann, who joined the rate setting group in September 2021 as an external member, said at an event hosted by the Resolution Foundation [...]
Jeremy Hunt faces calls for March budget giveaways after UK borrows £30bn less than forecast February 21, 2023 The UK government spent less than it reaped in from taxpayers last month helping to push yearly borrowing £30bn lower than projected by forecasters, officials figures out today reveal. The difference between what the government generated in revenue and spent hit a positive £5.4bn, meaning the UK’s public finances were in surplus last month, according [...]
Oil prices to stay high this year on China reopening and OPEC output snags, experts predict February 19, 2023 Oil prices will be propped up this year by rebounding demand from China alongside tightening supplies into Europe and OPEC's capacity issues.
Why is the UK economy poised to tumble into a recession and fall behind Europe, US and even Russia? February 16, 2023 Britain avoided a much-tipped recession at the end of last year. Phew. “However, we are not out of the woods yet,” warned Chancellor Jeremy Hunt after last Friday’s GDP figures from the ONS revealed the economy stagnated at the end of 2022, meaning it narrowly avoided the technical recession definition of two consecutive quarters of [...]
What now for Standard Chartered, and why is the bank still a takeover target? February 15, 2023 Standard Chartered found itself the target of takeover talks last week, after Bloomberg reported that First Abu Dhabi Bank was ready to make an offer once the cooling off period from its last offer, which had been just weeks earlier in January, had passed. The rumours were quickly quashed by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), [...]
The £200bn Covid savings war chest that could prevent a UK recession February 14, 2023 There’s a war chest of nearly £200bn – which started to be built up during the pandemic and has grown ever since – that could save the UK from recession. This may come as a surprise when all we hear from Westminster is how skint we are, but the stash of cash isn’t made up [...]
Energy crisis: Can someone shine a light on the Bulb takeover deal? February 6, 2023 Octopus' takeover deal for Bulb is set to cost the taxpayer much less than originally feared, but the deal remains shrouded in secrecy.
Week ahead: UK economy to narrowly avoid recession but GDP still expected to shrink February 5, 2023 The UK economy narrowly avoided a recession at the end of last year, new official figures out this week are expected to reveal. City traders think new GDP numbers from the Office for National Statistics on Friday will show the economy contracted 0.3 per cent in December, meaning the UK will have just about skirted [...]
West needs to prepare for energy crunch next winter, analysts warn February 5, 2023 Experts have urged the West against complacency next winter, warning that the energy crisis could last for years to come.