Shock record wage growth amplifies risk of 14th straight Bank of England interest rate rise July 11, 2023 Workers’ pay is rising faster than expected and at among the quickest paces on record in a sign that the Bank of England will deliver a 14th straight interest rate rise next month, official figures out this morning reveal. Pay excluding bonuses rose 7.3 per cent over the three months to May on an annual [...]
Accelerating redundancies ‘big concern’ for UK economy as firms sweat over recession July 10, 2023 Accelerating redundancies sparked by businesses sweating over whether the UK economy is on course for a recession are a “big concern” for the country, experts have warned today. Company layoffs have pushed the volume of unemployed workers available for jobs to its highest level since December 2020, when the UK was in the teeth of [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 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 [...]