Insolvencies set to rise as Budget hikes business costs, Begbies Traynor warns November 18, 2024 A combination of elevated interest rates and higher business costs resulting from the Budget is set to lead to a spike in insolvencies, Begbies Traynor has warned. In last month’s Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased the amount employers have to pay in NICs by 1.2 per cent, and lowered the wage threshold at which employers [...]
Lower interest rates not enough to rally consumer confidence November 18, 2024 After a steady climb throughout the year so far, consumer confidence dipped in November amid warnings it could continue to fall into 2025. Overall confidence fell from 47.3 in October to 46.9 in November, according to the S&P Global UK Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI) survey. The neutral mark is 50. Chief business economist at S&P, [...]
UK inflation set to jump above target in headache for Rachel Reeves November 18, 2024 UK inflation is expected to have surged above the Bank of England's two per cent target in October, bolstering a cautious approach to cutting interest rates in the months ahead.
Average price tag on a home falls as rate cuts spark demand revival November 18, 2024 According to Rightmove, the standard price for a newly marketed home currently sits at £366,592, a 1.4 per cent month-on-month drop.
Reeves ‘not satisfied’ as economic growth slows in third quarter November 16, 2024 Rachel Reeves has said she is “not satisfied” after official figures showed economic growth slowed in the months after Labour won the election, and even contracted in September. The UK economy grew by 0.1 per cent between July and September, versus 0.5 per cent growth in the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) [...]
Is Brexit back on the agenda after Mansion House? November 15, 2024 Reeves said that the economy faced "structural challenges" as a result of Brexit, which simply added to an already long list of obstacles to economic growth.
Firms blame Budget uncertainty as economy slows sharply in third quarter November 15, 2024 The UK grew at a slower pace than expected in the third quarter, according to new figures, with business groups pointing to the impact of uncertainty ahead of last month’s Budget. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the economy grew 0.1 per cent in the third quarter, after contracting 0.1 [...]
Bank of England boss touts benefits of free trade as Trump tariffs loom November 14, 2024 With protectionism coming back into fashion around the world, Bailey owned up to being an "old-fashioned free trader at heart".
Monetary policy needs to be ‘more forceful’ as global economy becomes less stable November 14, 2024 "Over the next few years at least, volatility in macroeconomic variables likely will be elevated," Mann said at the Annual Conference of the Society of Professional Economists in London.
Mark Kleinman: Thames needs to clear murky waters to restore credibility November 14, 2024 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week he tackles resetting Reeves, Thames Water and challenges for challenger banks Reeves’s post-reset reset may need new faces at City regulators How about a post-reset reset? Such has been the turbulence of Labour’s [...]