UK to officially avoid recession in first half of this year as Bank of England readies twelfth straight interest rate rise May 8, 2023 Britain is set to have officially avoided a recession in the first half of this year in a sharp turnaround in fortunes for the country’s economy, figures out this week are expected to reveal. Gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the amount of goods and services produced in the UK, is anticipated to have risen [...]
Banking crisis reinforces need for ringfencing as government’s consultation comes to an end May 8, 2023 Experts have warned that the recent banking stresses demonstrate the importance of the ringfencing regime as the government’s consultation comes to an end. Treasury ministers are keen to push forward with changes to how banks are forced to separate their retail and commercial activities with, for instance, investment banking operations – reducing the number of [...]
UK car production accelerates as semiconductor shortage is ‘all but over’ April 28, 2023 UK car production rose six per cent in the first three months of 2023 thanks to the easing of semiconductor shortages, though concerns remain as production continues to lag pre-pandemic levels. According to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), production rose to 219,887 units, with factories producing 12,540 units more than [...]
PwC invests $1bn in AI tools – but insists jobs are safe April 27, 2023 PwC will invest $1bn to develop AI tools for its staff to use across its audit, tax and consulting services in its American business, but has insisted that it won’t lead to job losses. The Big Four accountant will work with the creator of ChatGPT, Microsoft-backed OpenAI, to develop generative tools, which it hopes will [...]
Molten Ventures tech portfolio slumps nearly £200m – but it’s not all doom and gloom April 27, 2023 Listed venture vehicle Molten said the value of its holdings had slumped by more than £200m in the year to the end of March as high-growth tech firms are buffeted by an economic downturn.
Sick days in UK reach record high of 185m as Covid-19 hangs over economy April 26, 2023 Working days lost in the UK due to people being sick have climbed to a record high of just over 185m, official figures out today reveal. The new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicate that Covid-19 is still having a nagging impact on the UK economy and the health of the [...]
UK venture capital investment tumbles to pre-pandemic levels as market jitters linger April 26, 2023 Venture capital investment in the UK tumbled back to pre-pandemic levels in the first three months of the year as a slump in start-up valuations and volatile markets continue to spook investors.
Human governance in the metaverse: Part One April 24, 2023 In part one of his examination of human governance in the metaverse, Dr Chris Kacher looks at 'the network state'.
Bank of England to hike interest rates to five per cent after inflation tops forecasts to stay in double digits April 19, 2023 UK inflation has smashed expectations to stick in the double digits, in a sign that the cost of living crisis is still gripping families and businesses across the country, prompting markets to bet the Bank of England will hike interest rates to five per cent. The rate of price increases trimmed to 10.1 per cent [...]
AI better than our staff, reckon half of business leaders – so what does that mean for jobs? April 19, 2023 NEARLY half of business leaders reckon AI could replace humans, new data out today shows, but experts think job losses caused by mass adoption of tools such as ChatGPT would be limited. Some 44 per cent of C-suite executives think AI could perform tasks to a similar or better quality than humans, according to a [...]