The City View: Michael Hewson on problematic consumer spending growth May 17, 2022 Today Andy Silvester talks to Michael Hewson, Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets. They unpick the latest wage and labour figures, analyse Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey’s comments at the Treasury select committee, go through inflation predictions for 2022, and discuss why current consumer spending growth in the US and UK will be problematic [...]
Bets on US recession ‘badly misplaced’ after strong retail sales May 17, 2022 Bets on the US economy tipping into a recession “look badly misplaced” as consumer spending shows little sign of cooling amid historically high inflation That’s according to Wall Street analysts’ assessment of new retail sales data published today illustrating the US consumer is shaking off soaring living costs. Retail sales jumped 0.9 per cent over [...]
Wages trail inflation as Brits brace for cost of living crunch to enter most damaging spell May 17, 2022 Brits’ spending power is being crimped at a historic rate, but is set to plunge even quicker as the cost of living crunch enters its most damaging period, reveals official figures published today. Regular pay adjusted for inflation dropped at the fastest pace in nearly a decade over the last quarter to March, falling 1.2 [...]
Brexit: UK announces plan to kill off Northern Ireland protocol, outrage and disbelief in EU capitals May 17, 2022 Foreign Secretary Liz Truss just announced the Government’s intention to introduce legislation “in the coming weeks to make changes in the [Northern Ireland] protocol”. She told the Commons: “As the Prime Minister said, our shared objective has to be to find a solution that commands the broadest possible cross-community support for years to come and [...]
London indexes muted ahead of week of jolting data May 16, 2022 London’s top indexes were muted today as investors eyed a week of flagship economic announcements. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index climbed 0.63 per cent higher to 7,464.80 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, inched up 0.01 per cent to 19,924.11 points. [...]
Governor Bailey: Nothing different BoE could have done to prevent double-digit inflation May 16, 2022 Bank of England chief Andrew Bailey today defended his performance in overseeing “the biggest test” in the monetary authority’s 25 years of independence. Bailey, 63, said there was nothing else the Bank could have done to prevent inflation surging to more than five times its two per cent target in response to a grilling by [...]
Russia-Ukraine war generates new headwinds for European economy May 16, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is generating fresh headwinds that will choke the European economy, reveal official forecasts published today. Surging energy prices caused by concerns over supply security following Moscow sending troops into Ukraine are set to strain households and businesses on the Continent. High input prices are likely to weigh on production, while elevated [...]
Ofgem boss: Expect even higher energy bills this winter May 16, 2022 Energy prices will rise again in October, putting more pressure on struggling households, warned Ofgem boss Jonathan Brearley.
Banks across the UK are ‘pulling the drawbridge’ as lending to small businesses hits all-time low May 16, 2022 The UK’s largest business group is warning that banks “pulling up the drawbridge” to small firms will further stifle economic growth as a new SBI study showed that successful finance applications plunged over the first quarter of this year. Fewer than one in ten (9 per cent) small firms applied for finance in the [...]
Bank of England independence must remain no matter the political weather May 16, 2022 When Gordon Brown summoned then-governor of the Bank of England Eddie George to his office at the Treasury in 1997, the man in charge at Threadneedle Street was accompanied by a young civil servant – one Andrew Bailey. At that meeting, George – and presumably Bailey – were surprised to be told that the newly [...]