New car market ‘growing back and growing green’ with EV surge – but rate hikes peak concern July 5, 2023 Britain’s new car market recorded its 11th consecutive month of growth in June with registrations rising 25.8 per cent – but it might not be smooth driving in the near future. Just under one million new cars were registered in the first half of 2023, up 18.4 per cent on the previous 2022, according to [...]
Insurers back Bank of England Brexit Solvency II reforms and new investment push June 30, 2023 Insurers welcomed proposals released yesterday detailing potential post-Brexit reforms to the EU’s Solvency II regime. The EU’s Solvency II regime imposed rules on how much capital insurers had to hold and where it could be invested. Plans to reform the regime were announced last year and are designed to unlock billions in capital from the [...]
KPMG and PwC slapped with fines of almost £3m for botched Eddie Stobart audits June 29, 2023 Big four accountancy firms PwC and KPMG have been fined a total of nearly £3m over botched audits of logistics giant Eddie Stobart in 2017 and 2018. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said this morning it would fine PwC £1.99m and partner Philip Storer £51,000, with both receiving a “severe reprimand.” KPMG received a fine [...]
PwC set to hand 25,000 junior staff a real-terms pay cut – despite FRC plea to give them more June 28, 2023 Big four firm PwC has reportedly told its junior auditors their pay is going to be frozen, amid concerns it will make the industry less attractive. According to reports in the FT, around 25,000 staff members are set to get lower pay rises, with the accountancy giant citing the challenging market conditions and pay rises’ [...]
Budget Britain: Inflation forces families to trade down and opt for staycations June 28, 2023 Britons are trading down to cheaper products and are opting to holiday at home in response to rampant inflation and higher interest rates squeezing their budgets, new research out today shows. Some 40 per cent of families have been buying more value or own brand products in 2023, according to analysis from consultancy KPMG. The [...]
Bank of England and Rishi Sunak fail to win over investors on inflation fight June 27, 2023 Investors are sweating over Britain’s inflation problem running out of control and the Bank of England being unable to solve it any time soon, exclusive research for City A.M. has revealed. More than a year of raging prices has eroded confidence in policymakers’ ability to ease the cost of living crisis. Some 56 per cent [...]
KPMG: Generative AI could spur £31bn increase in UK productivity June 27, 2023 The UK’s battered economy could get a much-needed £31bn boost from the widespread adoption of generative AI, a new KPMG report has found. According to the ‘Big Four’ firm, generative AI has the potential to increase UK productivity by 1.2 per cent, the equivalent of an extra output of £31bn a year in the UK [...]
KPMG to cut five per cent of US jobs as demand slows June 26, 2023 Big four accountancy KPMG tonight announced a fresh round of layoffs, with plans to cut five per cent of its US workforce. In an internal message seen by City A.M., US chair and CEO Paul Knopp KPMG said: “We do not make the decision lightly. However, we believe it is in the best long-term interest [...]
China and India fuel record high coal prices despite falling US and EU usage June 26, 2023 Coal prices climbed to record levels last year driven by rising demand across Asia, according to a new report on global energy trends.
Credit fears send bank shares lower after Bank of England lifts rates by 50bps June 22, 2023 Shares in the UK’s biggest banks today fell after the Bank of England raised interest rates by 50 basis points, heaping more pain onto borrowers. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee reverted to a larger rate hike after inflation remained stuck at 8.7 per cent last month. It was the 13th rate hike in a row [...]