The Square Mile and Me: JM Finn’s Hugo Bedford on crayfish hi-jinks, David Mayhew and hopes for 2023 March 2, 2023 Every week we ask the City’s highest flyers what they’ve learnt in the Square Mile – and what fun they had climbing the ladder. This week, it’s wealth manager JM Finn’s chief executive Hugo Bedford – on his early days in the Square Mile, why he admires David Mayhew and one particularly raucous lunch What [...]
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warns interest rates may have to rise again to tackle inflation March 1, 2023 Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey has today warned interest rates may need to rise even higher to tame inflation, signalling yet more pain is in store for families and businesses. Speaking at a conference on the cost of living crisis in London, Bailey, 63, said if the Bank does “too little with [...]
Savings accounts: Banks under fire as MPs demand to know why interest rate rises have not been passed on to savers March 1, 2023 MPs have asked further questions of banks’ savings rate as pressure increases on the UK’s major high street lenders to pass on higher interest rates to consumers. In a letter to the heads of four of the UK’s largest banks, chair of the Treasury Committee Harriet Baldwin asked banks why their savings rates remain lower [...]
Co-operative Bank profit surges to £132.6m as CEO Slape confirms bank still looking at acquisition targets March 1, 2023 The Co-operative Bank recorded a big increase in pretax profit in its final year results thanks to higher interest rates as CEO Nick Slape confirmed the bank was still scanning the market for acquisition targets. . Across 2022 as a whole, pretax profit increased to £132.6m up from £31.1m last year. This was primarily a [...]
Food inflation reaches 14.5 per cent and looks set to remain high, new data reveals March 1, 2023 Food inflation reached a staggering new high of 14.5 per cent in February, according to new data, with retail groups predicting that prices will continue to rise over the coming months. While inflation more broadly has started to come down, food inflation soared to 14.5 per cent in February, up from 13.8 per cent the [...]
A lesson in patience: venture capital backing start-ups have much to learn March 1, 2023 Venture capital funds have been overly eager to invest in tech start-ups, and now they're facing the consequences. But market correction can only be a good thing, writes Mikael Johnsson
Why gender parity is still 70 years away despite two thirds of FTSE 350 company boards comprising of women February 28, 2023 The UK claims to be a world-leader for women’s representation on top company boards, with data revealing that 40.2 per cent of FTSE 350 board positions are now held by women. The findings were part of a report by the Government-backed FTSE Women Leaders Review, which is sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group and KPMG. Adopting [...]
Santander shares soar five per cent as lender bets on Europe to boost pay-outs and ‘ambitious’ profit targets February 28, 2023 Santander plans to return half its profits to shareholders after announcing “ambitious” profitability targets for the next three years. The Spanish banking giant said it was betting on customer growth and higher interest rates in Europe to boost its revenue. Santander has previously relied on its Latin American presence to offset the tough conditions experienced [...]
UK risks falling behind in global net zero race if it lowers green ambitions, ex climate minister Skidmore warns February 28, 2023 The UK risks falling behind rival countries in the "international net zero race" if it lowers its climate ambitions.
Ocado not for you: Three reasons why online grocer’s results may not be as bad as they seem February 28, 2023 Ocado’s crown as the online food retailer which keeps the middle classes stocked in organic essentials has been threatening to slip for a while now. As one of the companies which sits at the ‘higher-end’ of the online supermarket price point the rising cost of living, not to mention higher mortgage interest rates, was expected [...]