Nationwide bucks trend as building society promises to keep all its branches open until 2026 June 21, 2023 Nationwide has extended its promise to keep all of its physical branches open, as it continues to buck the trend among high street banks. The UK’s largest building society had already committed to maintain all 605 of its physical branches until 2024, but today it extended that commitment until 2026. Branches can still be closed [...]
Berkeley warns planning rules and ‘regulatory uncertainty’ weighing down housebuilding goals June 21, 2023 Housebuilder Berkeley has warned the delivery of new properties is under threat from the planning environment and regulatory uncertainty, as it reported near 10 per cent profits before tax this year. More than 4,000 homes were delivered by the firm with over 85 per cent being on regenerated Brownfield land. It also said it’s delivering [...]
UK pay still rising at three decade high in headache for Bank of England June 21, 2023 UK pay has risen at its fastest pace in over three decades for the fifth quarter in a row in a sign that the Bank of England may have to keep raising interest rates to get ahead of inflation, new figures out today show. Workers notched an average six per cent wage increase in the [...]
The Bank of England risked our economy by believing a Peter Pan myth on inflation June 21, 2023 The Bank of England is failing to predict or control the high rate of inflation because ultimately, no one believes in its ability to correctly predict the course of the economy, writes Paul Ormerod
LDI funds withstanding pressure in gilt market as BoE turns attention to shadow banks June 20, 2023 Liability driven investment funds (LDIs) have maintained “high levels of resilience” despite recent volatility in the gilt market, the Bank of England’s Jonathan Hall said today. Hall, an external member of the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said that recent moves in gilt yields had been “significant” as investors reassessed the likelihood of further rate [...]
FTSE 100 close: Interest rate concerns linger as NatWest heads lower June 20, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 struggled for gains today as investors took a cautious approach before the Bank of England’s expected 13th straight interest rate rise on Thursday. The capital’s premier index shed 0.25 per cent to close at 7,569.30 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the [...]
Hunt to discuss support with mortgage lenders as repayments crisis looms June 20, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to meet with mortgage lenders to discuss support for homeowners as a repayments crisis looms. Various calls have been made for the government to step in to help struggling borrowers – but Hunt said ministers would not provide financial support which would fuel inflation. Average costs for a two-year fixed-rate [...]
Why arrears will tick up but banks will not be threatened by rising mortgage costs June 20, 2023 Arrears will tick up as interest rates rise but banks will not have to deal with a major credit event, experts at ratings agencies told City AM. Mortgage rates have spiralled in recent weeks as a result of stubbornly high inflation, meaning consumers will have to pay thousands of pounds a month more for their [...]
Bank of England risks steering UK into needless recession with more interest rate hikes June 20, 2023 Back in November, the Bank of England took the highly unusual step of explicitly telling financial markets to calm their sky high bets on where interest rates might end up. “Should the economy evolve broadly in line with the latest monetary policy report projections, further increases in bank rate may be required for a sustainable [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index slips ahead of Bank of England interest rate decision as Next jumps June 19, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 slipped today ahead of a huge week for the UK economy, pushed lower by a resurgent pound knocking sentiment toward Britain’s biggest companies. The capital’s premier index fell 0.71 per cent to 7,588.49 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, [...]