Pound plummets to 37-year low against dollar ahead of Kwarteng’s mini-budget September 23, 2022 The Pound has plummeted to a fresh 37-year low against the dollar ahead of the Chancellor’s mini-budget today. Sterling dropped below $1.12 against the backdrop of a new low for consumer confidence, while FTSE 100 fell early. The pound has been on a poor recent run, with it announced this week the UK borrowed more [...]
Average monthly mortgage bill rises to £1,150 as new buyers set to struggle September 23, 2022 Average mortgage repayments are now above £1,150, as house sales are set to plummet with further rate-rises expected. Experts at Savills have said the Bank of England’s seventh consecutive base rate rise is hitting home-owners hard, and new buyers even harder. The hike to 2.25 per cent yesterday, the highest since 2014, means home-owners may [...]
Liz Truss cost of living support fails to prevent new consumer confidence low September 23, 2022 Liz Truss’s cost of living support has done nothing to lift Brits’ optimism out of the doldrums, a closely watched survey published today reveals. Consumer confidence collapsed five points over the last month to minus 49, the lowest since research firm GfK started tracking the figures in 1974. The survey was carried out between early [...]
Kwarteng vows ‘new era’ as he prepares to unveil tax-cutting mini-Budget September 22, 2022 Kwasi Kwarteng will tomorrow outline the biggest package of UK tax cuts in more than 30 years as a part of the government’s bid to launch a Thatcherite economic revolution. The chancellor today confirmed he would axe this year’s 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance in tomorrow’s mini-Budget and he is expected to cancel [...]
Let the battle for business’ hearts and minds begin September 22, 2022 Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, roll up, roll up to the greatest political show on earth. That may be slightly overselling it, but it is heartening to see the economy and business once again at the heart of our political debate. Today will see the first of what we imagine will be pretty dramatic [...]
London’s FTSE 100 drops after second big Bank of England rate hike September 22, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 plunged today after the Bank of England lifted interest rates 50 basis points for the second time in a row. The capital’s premier index fell 1.08 per cent to 7,159.52 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, tumbled 2.05 per [...]
National Insurance rise to be axed on 6 November, says Kwarteng September 22, 2022 This year’s hike in National Insurance will be axed from 6 November, Kwasi Kwarteng has today announced. The Treasury today said the move to reverse the 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance – which was originally brought in to pay for increased health and social care spending – will save businesses an average of [...]
Ka-Ching! Brits pay instantly £1.65bn more in interest after today’s Bank of England rate hike September 22, 2022 With the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee confirming its base rate will rise by 0.5 per cent to 2.25 per cent, UK households face an immediate increase in interest payments of £1.65bn. Analysis of Bank of England data shows UK households are currently paying £20.25bn annually in interest payments on floating rate debt that are [...]
Bank of England shirks historic rate hike despite warning of longer inflation September 22, 2022 The Bank of England today shirked the biggest interest rate hike since the late 1980s despite inflation threatening to run hot for months. Borrowing costs climbed 50 basis points to 2.25 per cent, their highest since November 2008 and the seventh rise in a row, the Bank announced. Before the decision, City economists and markets [...]
Addleshaw Goddard signs lease on larger London offices September 22, 2022 Addleshaw Goddard has signed a 15-year lease on new offices at the heart of London’s financial centre in a vote of confidence in the City. The City law firm is set to leave its Milton Gate offices near the Barbican for the newly refurbished 41 Lothbury building, opposite the Bank of England. Addleshaw Goddard is [...]