Former London Capital & Finance CEO sentenced after splashing hidden funds on pricey Italian getaway and hot tub May 17, 2023 The former CEO of now collapsed London Capital & Finance was handed a suspended sentence today after he was found to have breached an asset freezing order, splashing hidden funds on a holiday, hotel stay and a hot tub. The Serious Fraud Office froze Michael Thomson’s assets as part of its ongoing investigation into suspected [...]
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey warns of uncertainty over inflation drop May 17, 2023 The risk of inflation staying higher for longer than the Bank of England’s two per cent target than it expects is mounting due to the slow reduction of wage pressures and price rises, the Governor of the central bank warned today. Speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) annual conference, Andrew Bailey warned the [...]
Jeremy Hunt: UK not ‘in a position’ to know if it can cut taxes before election May 17, 2023 The government is currently not “in a position to know whether we’re going to have any headroom at all” to cut taxes in the run up to the next election, Jeremy Hunt claimed today. Speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) annual conference, the Chancellor said he and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “have our [...]
FTSE 100 close: London ends in the red as BoE’s Bailey warns of persistently high inflation May 17, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 index fell on Wednesday evening as Andrew Bailey warned that the UK would face high inflation for months to come. The capital’s premier index closed down 0.36 per cent at 7,723.23 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, fell 0.30 [...]
Bennett on Business: London listings and the Bank’s bitter Pill May 17, 2023 Neil Bennett discusses London's IPO problem, the Bank's chief economist and more in his fortnightly City A.M. column
Signs of unemployment jump emerge in UK economy – and it won’t solve worker shortages May 17, 2023 There are some signs that Britain’s red hot jobs market is calming down. That’ll please officials at the Bank of England, who, remember, are trying to make people and businesses (on average) a bit worse off to tame inflation. Wage growth which, in cash terms, has been rising rapidly for around a year, didn’t spring [...]
The Notebook: Susannah Streeter talks Brits’ love of brands, ready meals and Eurovision May 16, 2023 The notebook is a place for interesting people to say interesting things. Today, it’s the turn of former journalist and now Hargreaves Lansdown’s head of money and markets Susannah Streeter. Our love of big brands helps fuel inflation fires Brand power is the much-lauded virtue of the world’s most successful companies. But this much-admired characteristic is partly [...]
Record number of Brits return to workforce but inflation continues to wipe out pay growth May 16, 2023 A record number of Brits are returning to the workforce in a sign that labour shortages that have held back economic growth and pushed up inflation are starting to unwind, official figures out today show. A net 251,000 people flowed out of economic inactivity in the three months to March compared to the previous quarter, [...]
UK isn’t alone in this recession merry-go-round – just look at Europe May 16, 2023 It’s worth remembering that Britain isn’t some sort of pariah in the rich world that’s undergoing a tough economic slump, which is threatening to extend the growth slow down since the 2008 financial crisis. Europe’s major economies, led by Germany, its powerhouse, are also in the teeth of a slump. Numbers out last week revealed [...]
FTSE 100 close: HSBC and Lloyds lead gains on London index as Turkish lira slides after inconclusive election May 15, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 kicked off a new week in decent style today, led higher by Britain’s largest banks clocking strong gains. The capital’s premier index advanced 0.30 per cent to 7,777.69 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed 0.37 per cent to [...]